Rowton Castle History
The County of Shropshire contains many beautiful old houses, some of which have remained almost untouched since they were built. Rowton Castle as it stands today shows the work of many periods and is often dismissed as a modern building in a castellated style or incorrectly described as a nineteenth century house with a fifteenth century round tower. It seems that the site is an ancient one; the foundations are old, and the central core may be late Tudor (all that is left of the castle which stood for the King in the Civil War). The writer suggests that after the war the house was faced with stone and a wing built on the North East side. Furthermore, it would seem that in the early nineteenth century the whole mansion was decorated in the style of the Gothic Revival and that round tower, courtyard and the gate house were built at the same time to give a medieval appearance.
Until early in the present century the front drive ran direct to the house, but at that time the main entrance was moved to the South West side, where some interior alternations were made to meet it, the drive was taken to the courtyard and a lawn laid down in its place. It is fortunate that more is known about the owners of the Castle than about the house itself and many of them played an important part in local affairs.
In Camdens Britannia we read "More northward Caus Castle standeth and Rowton Castle near unto it, most ancient of all the rest, towards the west borders of the shire, not far from Severn, which Castle sometime belonged to the Corbets and now to the ancient family of Lyster. Before time it was the possession of John Le Strange of Knockin, in despite of whom Llewellyn, Prince of Wales laid it even with the ground as we read in the life of Sir Fulk Fitz Warin. It flourished also in the Romans time under the same name, termed by Antonius the Emperor Rutunium."
There may have been a Roman settlement at Rowton, though nothing has ever been found. A Roman Villa was discovered many years ago at Lea Cross traces of another have been uncovered quite recently at Cruckton and a Roman Road runs for a mile or so to the south but it is not the modern view that Rowton can be identified as Ruthenium. Probably some confusion arose over the translation of Ruton or Rutune, but it is almost certain that this Ruton referred in the life of Sir Fulk Fitz Warin was Ruyton on the road to Oswestry as it was the twin to Knockin in the defence line. It is safe to say however that Rowton shared in the general destruction of the Welsh Raids over the border and particularly in 1234 when "Nothing was left untouched from the borders of Wales to the Town of Shrewsbury".
The Castle was rebuilt, whoever for in 1482, we find William Lyster installed as Lord of the Manor. The Lysters owned Rowton for 400 years from 1482 until 1884 when on the death of Lady Charlotte Lyster it passed to her sister's son, who on being raised to the peerage took the title Lord Rowton. When he died unmarried it passed to his nephew General Lowry Corry, who eventually sold it to Major A E Lees.
The Lysters of Rowton who were Merchant Drapers were descended from John Lyster of Derby. Michael Lyster should be mentioned as he and Philip Sydney went as new boys to Shrewsbury School in 1564, but it is Thomas Lyster in 1624 that we come to, the first outstanding figure. In that year Charles I came with his army to Shrewsbury and the loyal Thomas presented the King with a purse of 500 guineas, for which the King conferred on him the honour of a knighthood. When the town fell in 1644 Sir Thomas was amongst those taken prisoner. Rowton Castle was captured in the following year and one account states that "His Lady gallantly held out in the Castle for nearly a fortnight against all efforts of the Republican Officer, Colonel Mytton, nor did she surrender her post till she had obtained good terms from the commander". Whether or not this account is a true one is debatable, there seems to be a lack of cotemporary documentary evidence and it is the general opinion that Rowton Castle played a very small part in the Civil War. Sir Thomas's son and heir, Richard made a will in 1696 and died the same year. In this appears the following paragraph upon which depends the writer's conjecture in "appoint my executor to expand one thousand pounds in building a house at Rowton upon the bank where the Old Castle stands, or near thereunto for the benefit and advantage of the person and persons upon whom the managing of Rowton is settled..." It is most unfortunate that no view of the Civil War Castle exists and it is even more disappointing to know that a collection of ancient deeds which were passed into the hands of the son of the last owner when the castle was sold in 1922 were destroyed in an air raid during the Second World War. Documentary evidence is lacking to show how Richard Lyster's instructions concerning the building of Rowton Castle were carried out, and if anyone reading this article should be able to offer and fragment evidence however small it will be most gratefully received by the writer. On examining the castle it obviously stands on a bank, the walls and fireplace embrasures the central portion are extremely thick and the red brickwork and chimneys which show at the back are said to be Tudor.
Some of the panelling in this part bears a plate with the inscription, "This panelling was erected in the year 1704 and was restored to its original condition by Colonel N A Lowry Corry in the year 1909," and is identical with that in the Guildhall, (a house built at the same time). The view is here advanced that any portions of the Norman Castle which may have been standing were pulled down and that it was decided to retain the central portion built around the main chimney stack, face the front with stone and build a wing on the north-east side. It is further suggested that this extension involved the demolishment of a small turret which originally balanced the one still standing on the south-west corner, the two together defining a pleasingly symmetrical appearance which must have been more attractive that the present unbalanced appearance. Also if an entirely new house were built in 1700 would it not have been a complete house of that period similar to the one built by the Earl of Newport about the same time?
The grandson of Richard Lyster was a remarkable figure. He dies in 1776 and having represented the County of Salop for 30 years, he was known as the Senator. He was a firm supporter of the exiled Royal House, which has not to the taste of the Whig Government of the day, and although he was first elected by a considerable majority his election was contested and his opponent was chosen in his place. "upon the decision being announced in the Commons, Mr Lyster feeling very keenly the injustice of the proceedings put on his hat and with his back to the speaker walked down the House when his manner being remarked, he was called to order and pointed out to the chair. Turning abruptly around he instantly said "When you learn justice I will learn manners". When the Salop Infirmary opened in 1774 Richard Lyster became the Treasurer.
There is an account of his generosity and hospitality which states that one day in the week his table was open to every class of his constituents and goes on to say that in the early nineteenth century there were a few living who could speak after to the copious amounts of Ale, at these convivial meetings. When he went to London to attend Parliament he travelled in his coach and six horses and was a week upon the road. His principal tenant and tradesmen accompanied his as far as Watling Street where they were entertained at his expense and at Highgate he was met by a select body of his London tradesmen who accompanied him to his town house in Bow Street, Convent Gardens. His son, also named Richard bought the Council House in 1798 from the owners of Condover Hall (the first link between two Shropshire Houses now both devoted though under separate organisations to training the blind).
The last Lyster was Henry who in 1824 married Lady Charlotte Barbara Ashley Cowper, whose father was the sixth Earl of Shaftsbury and whose mother was Lady Anne Spencer Churchill, a daughter of the third Duke of Marlborough. As a result of the marriage it is recorded that the castle and the grounds "were improved and rendered delightfully elegant". The building in the courtyard known as the estate block that bears the date 1828 and from the fact that only picture of the castle known to the writer shows the building without the round tower, it is assumed that this prominent feature dates from the same time.
Lady Charlotte's brother the seventh Earl of Shaftsbury was the famous philanthropist and reformer and in his diary he wrote "November 1 - 8, 1839 - At Rowton. Residents there as usual, happy, cheerful and refreshing. I love the people. I love the place. It ever does me good in body and in mind: it soothes and pleases me". There was no child of this marriage, but Lady Charlotte appears to have treated her nephew, Montague Lowry Corry as a son and Henry Lyster named him in 1863 as his heir. He became Disraeli's Private Secretary and when in 1880 he was raised to the Peerage he took the title of Baron Rowton of Rowton Castle. Like his famous uncle he too was interested in social reform and founded a Lodging House in London called Rowton House. Lady Charlotte died in 1889 and her nephew who never married, in 1903. The estate passed to his nephew Colonel later General N A Lowry Corry. It was during this time that the present main entrance was made at the back of the castle and some interior panelling restored by him to its original condition. The next owner Major Lees sold the castle in 1941 to Royal Normal College for the blind alter to be known as Royal Nation College for the Blind, which had already endured two evacuations and was looking for a home in which to continue its work which began in London in 1872.
The school used the castle itself as the accommodation block for staff and senior pupils; it also incorporated the dining areas for both junior and senior pupils. The classrooms were built to the eastern side of the building and now have been converted into 26 private apartments. The schools swimming pool and leisure area has been transformed into a private Country Club.
When the blind school closed, Rowton Castle lay empty for some 8 years until 1986 when work was started to convert the ruin into a luxury hotel which was opened on the 12th April, 1989.
In October 1997, the hotel was taken over by Jacques De Sousa and a professional team including the Operations Director, Bryan Cherrington and Director and Chef De Cuisine, Steve Parke.
A considerable amount of refurbishment has taken throughout these years to establish Rowton Castle as one of the finest wedding venues within the United Kingdom.
