Acton Burnell Castle
Acton Burnell Castle is located near the village of Acton Burnell, Shropshire, England. The castle is a 13th century fortified manor house - the oldest fortified manor house in England. The building is now in ruins, and all that remains is the outer shell of the manor house and the gable ends of the barn, where parliament once sat. It is a Grade I listed building and now maintained by English Heritage. The more recent Acton Burnell Hall is now a privately owned college.
The manor house was built in 1284 by Robert Burnell, Bishop of Bath and Wells. Although the building was cranellated and fortified, it was never a military castle. The building was rectangular with a forty feet tall tower at each corner. It was three storeys high with hall, bedrooms, offices, chapel and kitchen. It is believed that the first Parliament of England where Commons were fully represented was held in 1283 in the great barn next to the manor. The castle was held by the Burnell family and passed to the Lovels of Titchmarsh through marriage. The property was confiscated by Henry VII after the Battle of Stoke Field in 1487 and given to Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. The castle passed to the Smythe family in the mid 17th century. Acton Burnell Hall was built near to the castle in 1814 by the Smythe family.