Photo: Richard Webb · CC BY-SA 2.0

History of Bishop's Castle · Historic England

82 listed buildings, 5 of them Grade II*

On the Historic England list, all of them stand inside Bishop's Castle’s built-up area, 444 for every 10,000 residents. It also has 1 scheduled monument. 31% of its homes were built before 1919. We have photos of 4 of its listed buildings. Bishop's Castle grades A+ for history.

5Grade II*1scheduled monument 12on Church Street

Listed buildings

444 per 10,000 residents

Grade I

exceptional interest

Grade II*

more than special interest

Scheduled monuments

nationally important sites

Homes built before 1919

31%

typical UK town 15%

In pictures

Landmarks of Bishop's Castle

Nearly every Grade I and II* building, photographed. Tap a photo to step through them full screen.

Church of St John the BaptistGrade II* listed

The House on Crutches and No. 41Grade II* listed

The Porch HouseGrade II* listed

The Town HallGrade II* listed

Photos from Wikimedia Commons and Geograph, copied to our own server, each credited to its photographer with its licence; names open the building’s page or its official list entry.

The map

Where Bishop's Castle’s history is

Every Grade I and II* building, monument and historic park.

Grade II*Scheduled monument

Hover a dot for its name; tap one with a photo to open it.

82 listed buildings by grade

0 Grade I5 Grade II*77 Grade II

Historic England lists buildings in three grades: Grade I for buildings of exceptional interest (about 2.5% of all listed buildings), Grade II* for particularly important buildings of more than special interest (about 5.8%), and Grade II for buildings of special interest (about 91.7%). Listing protects the whole building, inside and out.

Every entry on the National Heritage List for England whose point lies inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary. One list entry can cover a terrace or a group of buildings.

Grade II*

The 5 Grade II* listed buildings in Bishop's Castle

Particularly important buildings of more than special interest. 4 are photographed. Each opens its own page, with the official list entry.

Church · listed 1950Church of St John the BaptistPhoto: Humphrey Bolton · CC BY-SA 2.0

House · listed 1950The House on Crutches and No. 41Photo: Chris Gunns · CC BY-SA 2.0

House · listed 1950The Porch HousePhoto: Flying Stag · CC BY-SA 2.0

Public · listed 1950Bishop's Castle Town HallOn the list as The Town HallPhoto: David Neale · CC BY-SA 2.0

Public · listed 1950Blunden Hall and Old Hall Cottage

Historic streets

Church Street has the most listed buildings

Streets by the listed entries with an address on them. One entry can be a whole terrace, so long rows count once.

Church Street12 listed

High Street10 listed

Market Square7 listed

Welsh Street3 listed

Of the 82 entries, 36 are named by a street address; the rest are named buildings such as churches, halls and bridges.

What’s protected

Most of Bishop's Castle’s listed buildings are homes

Every listed building sorted by what its list name says it is.

Houses, terraces & villas55

Churches, chapels & priories11

Inns, shops & warehouses6

Public & civic buildings5

Street furniture3

Walls, gates & bridges2

55 entries (67%) are houses, terraces and villas. 11 are churches, chapels and priories.

Buildings are sorted by words in each entry’s name (church, gate, inn, memorial…): the list’s open data has no building type. An entry named only by its address counts as a house.

Grade II

77 Grade II listed buildings

Most listed buildings are in this grade, which covers buildings of special interest. Open any building to read its official list entry.

All 77 Grade II listed buildings, A to Z

Ashton Cottage Brewery and Adjoining Store to South-East of the Three Tuns Inn Church Barn Adjacent to the Old Vicarage Clive Coat of Arms in aedicule on site of demolished Old Market Hall Coach House Wing Linking Brewery to Rear Wing of the Three Tuns Inn Drew Memorial and Railed Enclosure Approximately 12 Metres to South of Chancel of Church of St John the Baptist Former Barn adjoining Old Bull House to North East Former Malthouse adjoining Number 20, Welsh Street to west Grave of Unknown African 'I.D', north east side of Church of St John the Baptist Group of 3 Chest Tombs Approximately 3 Metres to East of Apse of Church of St John the Baptist Group of 3 Pedestal Tombs to Hughes and Home Families Approximately 35 Metres to North-West of Tower of Church of St John the Baptist Harp House K6 Telephone Kiosk, High Street Kings Head Inn and Outbuildings to Rear Malt House Harp Yard Medlicott Memorial Approximately 15 Metres to South-East of Apse of Church of St John the Baptist Norton House Nos 53-57 and Rudge House Nos. 50 AND 52, CHURCH STREET Number 17 and Outbuilding Adjoining to West Number 28 Including Stores and Garage to Rear Old Bank House Prospect House the Old Schoolhouse Remains of Castle on Castle Site Summerhouse at So 32335 89126 The Black Lion and Forecourt Railings The Boar's Head Inn The Castle Hotel The House The Malt House The Old Brick Guest House The Six Bells and Former Stables to Rear The Vaults The Vicarage Thomas Memorial approximately 17 metres to north of porch of Church of St. John the Baptist Three Tuns Inn Toldervey Tomb Approximately 10 Metres to South of Vestry of Church of St John the Baptist Wall and gateway approximately 14 metres to south of Chancel of Church of St. John the Baptist Werneth House and Forecourt Railings White Gates Wollaston tomb approximately 7 metres to west of tower of Church of St. John the Baptist 11 Market Square 12 and 14, Church Street 12, Market Square 13 and 15, Market Square 14, Market Square 15 and 17, High Street 16 and 18, Church Street 16 and 18, Market Square 19-23, High Street 2 Welsh Street and forecourt railings 2, Market Square 2, Union Street 20, Market Square 23, Welsh Street 25 and 27, Church Street 25, High Street 26, High Street 27, High Street 29, Church Street 29, High Street 3, Salop Street 31, High Street 37, High Street 38 and 40 High Street 39, High Street 4 and 6, Welsh Street 43, Church Street 45, Church Street 47, Church Street 5 Salop Street 54 and 56, Church Street 58, Church Street 62, Church Street 63, Church Street 64, Church Street 8, Welsh Street

Conservation areas

1 conservation area covers 25% of Bishop's Castle

Areas the council protects as a whole: demolition and changes to how buildings look need consent, and trees are protected.

Bishop's Castle 197422 ha

22 hain conservation areas, of 90 ha inside the built-up area.

81 of the 82 listed buildings stand in one.

Historic England’s conservation areas layer, supplied by councils (incomplete in places, so a page fact, never graded). Hectares are the part of each area inside the built-up area.

How the list grew

More than half of Bishop's Castle’s listed buildings were added in one year, 1985

The year each building now on the list was first listed.

1985 · 611950 · 15

19501960197019801990200020102020

The first 15 entries were listed in 1950. 61 came in 1985, in the national resurvey of the 1970s and 80s. Only 1 has been added in the last 15 years.

Monuments & landscapes

Monuments, parks and gardens

Designations that overlap the town by a tenth of their area or half a hectare.

1 scheduled monument

Nationally important archaeological sites and monuments, protected by law; work on them needs consent from the Secretary of State, advised by Historic England.

Motte and bailey castle and bishops' palace

History Grade

Bishop's Castle grades A+ for history

Protected heritage and the age of the town’s homes, against all UK towns.

Protected heritage, for its size and in all (89 points, 482 per 10,000 residents)More than 91% of UK towns

Homes built before 1919 (31%)More than 86% of UK towns

Two measures, each ranked against every UK town of 1,000 or more, with protected heritage counting twice as much as the age of homes. Protected heritage counts each listed building by its grade (Grade I three points, II* two, II one), each scheduled monument and battlefield two, and each registered park or garden by its grade; it is ranked both per 10,000 residents and as a total, so a village with one fine church doesn’t outrank a historic city. The second measure is the share of homes built before 1919, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records. History is a character grade: it describes the town and isn’t part of the overall grade.

Homes by age

31% of Bishop's Castle’s homes were built before 1919

Every home by when it was built, from council tax records, against England & Wales (the dark tick).

30%

Before 1900

1.3%

1900–18

0.5%

1919–29

5.5%

1930s

4.8%

1945–54

5.8%

1955–64

6.8%

1965–72

7.2%

1973–82

5.9%

1983–92

6.9%

1993–99

14%

2000–08

4.1%

2009–15

7.4%

2016–25

Bishop's CastleEngland & Wales

30% of homes are Victorian or older, against 16% across England and Wales. The busiest period since was 2000–08, which added 14% of today’s homes.

Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties by build period, 31 March 2025, for the neighbourhoods (LSOAs) that make up the town, split by where their residents live. Homes with no recorded build period (43 here) are left out; 1939–44 is not a period in the data.

Neighbours

Listed buildings in the places around Bishop's Castle

Town	People	Listed	Grade I	History
Bishop's Castle	1,847	82	0	A⁺
Craven Arms	2,563	9	0	B⁻
Church Stretton	3,576	46	1	A⁻
Knighton	2,911	78	0	A⁺
Minsterley	1,719	16	0	B
Pontesbury	1,968	14	0	B⁺

In brief

Bishop's Castle in brief

Few towns are as rich in listed heritage as Bishop's Castle: per resident it has more than 91% of UK towns. In all there are 82 listed buildings. Its housing is old: 31% of homes date from before 1919, against 15% in the typical UK town. Church Street alone has 12 listed buildings.

A conservation area has protected part of it since 1974. Of the whole list, 67% are houses, terraces and villas. More than half went on the list in a single year, 1985: 61 of 82. Otherwise the figures are ordinary: like most towns its size, it has no Grade I building; Albert Howard (1873) and Richard More (1879) were born here before 1900; and it also has a scheduled monument.

Questions about Bishop's Castle’s history

How many listed buildings are there in Bishop's Castle?

Historic England lists 82 buildings inside Bishop's Castle’s built-up area: 0 Grade I, 5 Grade II* and 77 Grade II.

Which street in Bishop's Castle has the most listed buildings?

Church Street (12), High Street (10) and Market Square (7) have the most listed entries named by an address. One entry can be a whole terrace.

Are there scheduled monuments in Bishop's Castle?

Yes, 1 scheduled monument, including Motte and bailey castle and bishops' palace.

How many conservation areas are there in Bishop's Castle?

1, covering about 22 hectares of the town. The largest is Bishop's Castle.

When were Bishop's Castle’s buildings listed?

The first in 1950; the most, 61, in 1985.

How old are the homes in Bishop's Castle?

31% of homes were built before 1919 and 37% before 1940, from the Valuation Office Agency’s council tax records (March 2025).

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The National Heritage List for England is the official, up-to-date register of all nationally protected historic buildings and sites in England; check an entry on Historic England’s website before relying on it.

Sources: Historic England, National Heritage List for England (listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, battlefields, World Heritage Sites), October 2026, inside the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary · Valuation Office Agency, Council Tax: stock of properties by build period (31 March 2025) · TownRatings grades: our own summary of the data, ranked against UK towns only · Historic England conservation areas (supplied by local planning authorities; October 2026). All under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.