Our History
Step back in time
History, Heritage and Splendour await.
Rowton Castle as it stands today shows the work of many periods. The foundations are old and the central core may be Tudor.
Subsequent generations have added and taken away, leaving us with a building of amazing beauty. Fortunately, more is known about the owners of the castle than about the house itself. A family home for much of its time, the Lysters owned Rowton for 400 years; on the death of Lady Charlotte Lyster it passed to her sister’s son.
When he died unmarried it passed to his nephew General N A Lowry Corry, who eventually sold it to Major A E Lees. Rowton Castle was again sold to the Royal Normal College for the Blind before work began to convert the then-ruin into a luxury hotel.
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1234
The first mention of Rowton Castle as a dwelling is in the twelfth century. It is known to have stood on the site of the present day castle, but shared in the destruction of the Welsh Raids when nothing was left untouched from the borders of Wales to the town of Shrewsbury.
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1482
The castle was rebuilt, and Shrewsbury merchant William Lyster was installed as Lord of the Manor. The Lysters owned Rowton, in all, for around 400 years.
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1698–1828
Richard Lyster, a direct descendant, left £1,000 for the reconstruction of the castle to his heirs. Building started in 1700. Additional work was carried out by George Wyatt from 1809–1812, and then again from 1824–1828.
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1880–1921
Still in the possession of the Lyster family, Henry Lyster`s widow, Lady Charlotte Lyster made the estate over to her nephew, Sir Montague Lowry Corry. He took the title Baron Rowton in the same year for his service as Private Secretary to Disraeli. When he died in 1903 he was succeeded by his nephew – General NA Lowry Corry.
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1941
The next owner, Major Lees, sold the castle to the Royal Normal College for the blind, which had already endured two evacuations and was looking for a home in which to continue work that had begun in London, in 1872. A collection of ancient deeds was destroyed in an air raid during this time.
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1978
The blind school closes, having relocated to larger surroundings, and Rowton Castle lay derelict for some eight years. In 1986 work was started to convert the ruin into a luxury hotel which was opened on the 12th April, 1989.
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1997
In the October, Rowton Castle was taken over by Jack De Sousa, Bryan Cherrington and Steve Parke, bringing with them a wealth of experience and skill within the hospitality and cateringindustry.
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TODAY
A considerable amount of refurbishment has been taken throughout these years to establish Rowton Castle as one of the finest wedding venues around.
