Restoration work nears completion at Tamworth Castle

Tamworth Castle’s external curtain wall, west rampart, plus reroofing of a passageway have all see repairs carried out.

Contractors Midlands Conservation Ltd, have repaired and restored the curtain wall, replacing coping stones and repairing the balustrade for the parapet.

The chimney on the back of the Great Hall has been rebuilt and repointed as well as a further stack adjoining the curtain wall.

The works, originally due to complete in September, are now expected to complete late October due to delays caused by the weather, with final costs of £440,367.

Most of the scaffolding will start to come down late September whilst the final stages of the work are completed.

The contractors are currently investigating repairs to the Tudor footbridge as additional work to the project whilst the scaffolding is in place.

Councillor Paul Thompson, Tamworth Borough Council, Portfolio Holder for Town Centre and Commercial Property, said: “Through careful project management with a team of heritage professionals, we have been able to deliver additional repair work whilst the scaffolding has been in place; plus, we have thoroughly inspected parts of the castle which are usually difficult to access.

“This access has provided an opportunity to update our understanding of the condition of the castle overall and plan for future phases of conservation work to preserve the scheduled monument.

“We are very lucky to have such an amazing building, undergoing this essential repair work will ensure that this historic building continues to stand proud and remain a part of Tamworth’s rich history.”

In addition to the curtain wall repairs, visitors to the Castle Grounds will have noticed that work on the Gatehouse shop at the bottom of the castle entrance also took place. This project cost £36,000 in total, with £26,701 of capital funds from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and the remainder from council budgets.