Rowton Castle
Rowton Castle is a country house about 10 km from Shrewsbury in the English county of Shropshire . The by English Heritage as a historical monument II *. Grade listed house once served as the home of the Royal National College for the Blind before it was moved to its current location in Hereford . The 17th century house has around 6.8 hectares of gardens. Today it serves as a wedding hall, hotel and restaurant.
history
The current country house was built in the 17th century. Before that there was a castle of the same name there for several centuries. The house was owned by the Lyster family until the death of the last name-bearer, Lady Charlotte Lyster , in 1889 . She bequeathed the house to her nephew, Montagu Lowry Corry , who in turn passed it on to his nephew, Colonel NA Lowry Corry , when he died in 1903. The next owner of the house, Major Lees , sold it to the Royal National College for the Blind in 1941 . This college was originally located in London and had to find a new place to stay after its Upper Norwood home was bombed during The Blitz . Then it was bought by the authorities. The college used the country house itself as accommodation for the staff and the senior students. The dining room for the younger and older students was also housed in the building. The classrooms were created on the east side of the building and were converted into private apartments after the school moved out.
In 1953 a fire destroyed a large part of the building and 38 pianos and organs. One of the students had sounded the alarm and all residents could be saved. Classes continued after Henshaw's Institution for the Blind temporarily took over students and teachers. The college grew and so the premises became too small. Additional buildings had to be purchased in and around Shrewsbury, and in 1978 the entire school was relocated to Hereford after a building was found that could house all of its functions.
After the school moved out, Rowton Castle stood empty for a few years until the conversion into a luxury hotel began in 1986. The hotel opened on April 12, 1989. In October 1997 the current owners bought the country house.
Individual evidence
- ^ Rowton Castle - Castle Wedding Venues . Rowton Castle. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ↑ Jerry Green: The Royal Normal College . Crystal Palace Magazine. April 1, 2007. Accessed on June 4, 2010. ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c d A brief history of RNC . Royal National College for the Blind. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ↑ Our Century . In: Express & Star . Midland News Association. June 2, 1953. Retrieved August 19, 2016.
- ↑ Assisting the blind to reach their full potential . In: Hereford Times . Newsquest Media. September 18, 2003. Archived from the original on January 14, 2013. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
Web links
Coordinates: 52 ° 42 ′ 31.3 " N , 2 ° 55 ′ 14.5" W.