Alton Castle

Alton Castle is a Gothic-revival castle, located on a hill above the Churnet Valley, in the village of Alton, Staffordshire. The site has been fortified since Saxon times, with the original castle dating from the 12th century. The current castle was constructed in the mid-19th century by John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, of near by Alton Towers. Since 1967 the castle has been designated a Grade I listed building. It is also a scheduled ancient monument.HistoryAlton Castle was founded by Bertram de Verdon and built on a rocky precipice overlooking the River Churnet in the 12th century, however the site had been fortified since Saxon times. The castle is also known as or referred to in historical documents as Alton, Alverton or Aulton. The 12th-century castle was substantially reconstructed during the 15th century and subsequently was damaged during the Civil War.Since 1442, the castle was in the possession of the Earls of Shrewsbury, who from the beginning of the 19th-century made their home at nearby Alton Towers. By the mid-19th-Century the castle was mostly in ruins. John Talbot, 16th Earl of Shrewsbury, commissioned Catholic architect Augustus Pugin, who was already working for the Earl at Alton Towers, to construct a new gothic castle/country house on the site. Most of the 12th-century ruins were demolished to make way for the new building which was designed to look like a French or German medieval castle. The earl also commissioned Pugin to develop the surrounding area on castle hill. A "replica of a medieval hospital, a guildhall and presbytery" were constructed; dedicated to St. John the Baptist, the buildings served as a church and hospital (almshouses) and were designed to provide and care for the poor for of the parish. The church was also used as a school for local poor children.