ONE of the oldest and least documented Norman stone castles in Britain – which was neglected for more than 400 years until its rescue from collapse in 2017 – is to benefit from £201,000 lottery funding.

The Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust was awarded the grant by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to help conserve, study and open the site and remains of the historic monument, located some 20 miles north of Abergavenny, in the Golden Valley between Dorstone and Peterchurch.

The ruins are claimed to be ‘Britain’s newest, oldest castle’, and featured on BBC’s Digging for Britain, broadcast in January.

The funding will help strengthen the organisational resilience of the trust, boost its community engagement activities and secure the castle for future generations.

Snodhill Castle dates back to around the 11th Century, and was a neglected ruin, close to collapse until it was saved in 2016 by the combined efforts of enthusiasts and villagers, who, with the backing of Historic England came together to form the preservation trust.

Today, the ten-acre site studded with ancient trees is being conserved by experts, investigated by archaeologists and enjoyed by the public.

A trust spokesperson said: “The awarding of the ‘Fortifying the Future’ grant will help the trust become a more connected, digitally-savvy and better-resourced organisation, able to attract and sustain a diverse audience of individuals, groups and the wider community who will engage with the castle and benefit from that association in their own unique ways.  

“This ambitious three-year project includes collaborations with local organisations engaged in green wellbeing, community engagement and education.

“The project will also see the running of ‘community digs’ in conjunction with Herefordshire Archaeology so that everyone can play a part in uncovering more of the castle’s history – and discover the thrill of archaeology too.

“The trust will also be commissioning research to anchor the archaeological discoveries within a known historical context, publish its findings – and ensure Snodhill Castle takes its rightful place in Britain’s national story.”

It is possible from the archaeological evidence already obtained that Snodhill had been a very rare pre-Norman castle built around 1050 to guard the fertile Dore Valley and its prosperous Saxon villages at Wilmastone, Dorstone, Peterchurch and Mynydd-brith.

However, the Norman castle itself was built around 1068, two years after the Battle of Hastings, by William Fitz Osbern, 1st Earl of Hereford, who was campaigning to assert Norman control along the Welsh Marches, having already started work on all the early Norman castles from Chepstow to Wigmore.

The trust will also commission ecological and habitat surveys for projects to conserve and enhance the castle’s unique mediaeval landscape, habitat and species diversity.

And finally, the trust will be encouraging the castle’s use in new ways in academic, media, events and other creative contexts.

Garry Crook, chairman of the Snodhill Castle Preservation Trust said: “Having rescued the castle, the project will secure its long-term future through an ambitious programme of engagement, shared interest and participation.

“Because the only way to preserve heritage for tomorrow is to make it matter to people today.

“The grant award is a fantastic validation of our achievements so far and recognition of our serious ambitions for the future of Herefordshire’s - and Britain’s - newest, oldest castle. We’re delighted to share our excitement at the award and start on our mission.”