A Brief History of Dudley Castle
The first castle here at Dudley was founded by the Normans around 1071. It is a classic example of a motte and bailey castle (the motte being the mound on which the keep stands and the bailey being the flat area within the curtain wall). The keep itself would have been a square wooden structure, but during the 12th century this was pulled down and replaced with a square stone structure. This was again pulled down and not rebuilt again until the 13th century and this is the castle keep you see today in ruins, which was square with a round tower on each corner.

During the middle of the 16th century the living areas were rebuilt as a Renaissance palace (The Sharrington Range), by John Dudley, the most famous Earl/Lord here at the castle. He was later beheaded by the order of Queen Mary I for hatching the ill-fated plot to put Lady Jane Grey on the throne.

During the Civil War the castle was a Royalist stronghold but surrendered in 1646 following the defeat of Charles I at Naseby. This was when the keep and the gate house were sleighted or pulled down, so the castle could not be used as a fortification any longer.

The Sharrington Range continued to be used by the Earls of Dudley after the civil war but by the time of 1750 they had moved to Himley Hall. The Sharrington Range living quarters were rented out and on the 24th of July that year the whole building was gutted by a huge fire which burned for three days.

The Earls continued to hold the site and were responsible for founding Dudley Zoo in 1937.

The Castle Interpretation Centre
In our Interpretation Centre you can find out lots of information about what daily life would have been like here at the castle during days gone by. You can find out fascinating facts about medieval justice, food preparation, religion courtship, past Earls of Dudley and much more.We also have an interesting display of artefacts which have been discovered in excavations at the castle during the 1980’s. You will also get the chance to see two replica models of Dudley Castle, showing how it would have looked during Norman times and during the Tudor period when John Dudley funded the rebuild of a major part of the living quarters.

Click here to view a PDF guide to Dudley Castle.

Don’t forget our Castle & Ghost Tour!
Each day we host tours around the castle, when you can find out more about the history of the castle and the ghostly tales in a fun and interactive way. Check the zoo map for what time the tour is taking place.

Fancy being a ghost hunter yourself?
We have various evening events in the castle where you can get the chance to go hunting after ghosts yourself. If you would like further details please call us on: 01384 215313

See Event listings for further details.