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Conservation Management Plan - Tamworth Borough Council

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The watermill was demolished in 1920 and the trees were removed from the south end of the castle bailey and<br />

replaced by a bandstand (Plates 31, 32). The flower bed terraces were constructed, and the Castle Pleasure Grounds<br />

were inaugurated in 1930 (Plates 49). The full extent of the wider castle pleasure grounds occupied part of the much<br />

larger park associated with the medieval castle.<br />

Phase 8 Housing, Retail and leisure redevelopments 1960s onwards - the setting of the<br />

castle<br />

In response to the need to house overspill families from Birmingham in the 1960s five tower blocks were built to the<br />

east of the castle. They and the council offices Marmion House, now dominate the setting of the castle.<br />

In the 1970s a retail unit (currently occupied by Nationwide Building society) was built on Market Street adjacent to<br />

the medieval bridge and gateway into the bailey<br />

In response to proposals to develop the east end of the bailey, excavations took place south of 22-24 Market Street<br />

in 1972 (Mc Neill 1989).These confirmed that no medieval deposits survived at the eastern end of the former castle<br />

bailey. The soil and rubble from that end of the bailey had been used to infill the northern bailey ditch, probably<br />

before 1741.<br />

The Ankerside shopping centre was built over the east end of the former castle bailey in 1980. The facade looking<br />

out over the bailey is decorated with stained glass windows depicting Aethelflaeda and local historic buildings<br />

including the castle. A series of terraces look out over the remainder of the bailey towards the castle.<br />

The developer donated a landscaping scheme in the bailey area adjacent to the shopping centre.<br />

Further afield the snow dome, out of town shopping centre and hotel have been built on the wider medieval<br />

parkland and are clearly visible from the promenade around the motte and the parapet walkway around the walls?<br />

The detailed descriptions of the various elements of these phases are illustrated with annotations in the separate<br />

site gazetteer in section three.<br />

1.2.4 The castle in its modern setting<br />

Today the Shell Keep on top of the motte dominates the town and its market place, overlooks the confluence of the<br />

rivers Anker and Tame, and still guards the southern, now pedestrianised, approach to <strong>Tamworth</strong> over Ladybridge.<br />

The six high rise tower blocks on Lichfield Street are highly prominent in views north west from the castle, and<br />

appear to be advancing on the castle, significantly detracting from its setting (Plate 3). Views of the castle on the<br />

historic approaches from the south , over the Lady Meadow and Ladybridge are dominated by the high rise tower<br />

blocks.<br />

To the east, the sprawling mansard roof of the Ankerside shopping centre, and pub terrace, with its noisy late night<br />

drinkers, overlooking the bailey and the massive bulk of the Snow dome and hotel beyond, all now significantly<br />

detract from the castle’s setting. It is hard to imagine that this was once all part of the historic parkland setting for<br />

the castle.<br />

South of the castle the rivers Anker and Tame define the western and northern limits of much of the area of the<br />

Castle Pleasure Grounds, a large open space planted with mature trees. This area was reclaimed from the floodplain<br />

of the river Tame, by dumping a vast extent of municipal waste.<br />

There is a tree-lined avenue that runs north-west/ south-east along the length of the Castle Pleasure Grounds and<br />

aligned on the castle itself, reaching it via an attractive concrete Modernist bridge over the river Anker.<br />

The Pleasure Grounds have a series of attractive 1930s recreational buildings including a very fine former swimming<br />

baths. They reflect the period and their former uses well, and are sympathetically scaled to fit the landscape and<br />

setting of the castle, unlike the more modern structures (Snowdome, Ankerside Shopping Centre).<br />

There are two large car parks at the far end of the Pleasure Grounds and one at the foot of the motte, on the site of<br />

the demolished Castle Mill.<br />

The Castle Pleasure Grounds are a significant open space, for the setting of the town and in providing an important<br />

leisure facility for residents. They are used for a popular programme of large and small events, some of which are<br />

run in conjunction with the castle and celebrate the history of <strong>Tamworth</strong>.<br />

36 Part 1 www.marionblockley.co.uk <strong>Tamworth</strong> Castle <strong>Conservation</strong> <strong>Management</strong> <strong>Plan</strong>

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