Bishop ' s Castle Bishop ' s Castle is a small market town in the southwest of Shropshire , England , and formerly its smallest borough . According to the 2001 census it had a population of 1 , 630 . Bishop ' s Castle is east of the Wales - England border , about north - west of Ludlow and about south - west of Shrewsbury . To the south is Clun and to the east is Church Stretton . The town is best known as a thriving market town with a strong agricultural community and has more recently become known for its alternative community including artists , musicians , writers and craftspeople . This is excellent walking country and Bishop ' s Castle is a " Walkers are Welcome Town " , gaining the award in 2008 . The long distance footpath the Shropshire Way runs through the town and Offa ' s Dyke is only a few miles away to the west . The ancient trackway of the Kerry Ridgeway , a prehistoric Bronze Age route , runs from the town . The BC Ring , a challenging route around the town , was published in 2008 . The town has two micro - breweries , including the Three Tuns , the UK ' s oldest brewery , many pubs and eating places and a wide variety of places to stay in the town itself and the surrounding countryside . History . The castle . Documented history begins in Saxon times for Bishop ' s Castle when Edwin Shakehead , grateful for being miraculously cured of the palsy at Saint Ethelbert ' s tomb in Hereford Cathedral gave part of his lands to the incumbent Bishop of Hereford . A successive Bishop of Hereford built a castle , originally a motte and bailey design , in 1087 to defend the church and village from the threat of the Welsh , . The castle has been under attack several times , not always by Welsh raiders , most notably in 1263 when John Fitzalan , 6th Earl of Arundel and Lord of Oswestry and Clun , held it under siege and caused significant damage , estimated at 1 , 060 marks . In the Early Middle Ages the castle and parish were situated partly in Wales and partly in England so territorial disputes literally ' came with the territory ' . In 1557 the castle was described as follows : " thirteen rooms covered with lead , a tower on the outer wall on the eastern side containing a stable , and two rooms covered with tiles . There were two other rooms called ' le new buyldinge ' situated on the outer wall between the building over the gate and the tower called ' le prison tower ' . There was also a dovecote , a garden , a forest and a park . " As peace came to the Welsh Marches Bishop ' s Castle became one of the notorious rotten boroughs , an electorally corrupt situation wherein the tiny borough elected two Members of Parliament from 1585 . In 1618 the castle started to deteriorate and in the 1700s the stone keep and surroundings were flattened to make a bowling green , ( Some historians believe that the houses along Market Square and Castle Street were built on the foundations on an outer wall due to the curvature of the houses ) . In 1719 - the fifth year of the reign of George I and the year Daniel Defoe published Robinson Crusoe - the Castle Hotel was constructed over the site of the old baille [ the French word for an enclosed court ] of the ancient castle . It was built on the orders of a local landowner , James Brydges ( 1673 - 1744 ) , who in the year the hotel was completed was created Duke of Chandos . In an age of unabashed corruption , he acquired a number of lucrative sinecure offices and amassed such wealth that he was known as ‘ Princely Chandos ’ . The 1st Duke of Chandos sold the Castle Hotel to John Walcot who in turn sold it to Robert Clive , 1st Baron Clive of Plassey ( 1725 - 1774 ) , known as ‘ Clive of India ’ , who amassed such wealth during his time in that country that Horace Walpole writing from London to a country friend said : ‘ you will be frightened by the dearness of everything . . . I expect that a pint of milk will soon not be sold under a diamond , and then nobody can keep a cow but my Lord Clive ’ . From Viscount Clive the hotel descended to his son , Edward , who changed the family name to Herbert , his mother ’ s maiden name , and took his father ’ s subsidiary title of Earl of Powis . In 1642 , the Three Tuns Brewery was established on its current site , making it the oldest licensed brewery site in Britain . While some of the current building dates to the seventeenth century , the main building is a Victorian tower brewery erected about 1888 . Local landowners , including Robert Clive expended large sums of cash buying votes , a common practice at the time in some areas to ensure a seat in Parliament . In 1726 one unsuccessful parliamentary candidate was subsequently able to prove that of the 52 people voting for his rival , the incumbent MP , 51 had received bribes and inducements . The Reform Act 1832 eradicated this practice and Bishops Castle was disenfranchised . All that is physically left of the castle today is a 10 m long , coursed stone wall on the west side of the castle site which is 2 m thick and 3 m high . It was overgrown with ivy and was recently renovated to keep it safe and stable . The Castle Hotel stands on the site of the castle itself and is largely built of stone salvaged from the original castle . The town . The layout of the town in the present day shows that originally the town was made up of 46 burgage plots which were separated by a few small lanes which have developed to be Church Street , Union Street and Station Street . In 1249 a Royal Charter for a weekly market and an annual fair was granted , they are both still very popular , with a Friday market in the town hall and a May fair in the playing fields . In the 1600s , the town hall was constructed as a new administrative centre , a court and possibly a prison . The town was classified as a municipal borough in 1885 . It lost this status in the 1960s , but still has a mayor and its regalia . It is now a " Quality Town Council " . Bishop ' s Castle was close to the epicentre of a magnitude 5 . 1 earthquake on 2 April 1990 , which was felt throughout much of England and Wales . Today the town forms a civil parish , with its own town council and mayor . Landmarks . Although it is smaller than many villages , Bishop ' s Castle has plenty of facilities for residents and tourists , coffee houses , cafés and restaurants , the House on Crutches , a museum of country life , and the Rail & Transport Museum , the two micro - breweries , the old cattle market in the centre of the town , for example . Beyond that , there is a significant number and variety of shops , local businesses and services ranging from clothes shops to the usual high street banks . The town is notable for a thriving selection of specialist retailers . There are several public houses in the town , including two micro - breweries : the Six Bells Brewery painted yellow , and the Three Tuns Brewery , now owned by the John Roberts Brewery company . Additionally , the town sports a number of restaurants and Bed and Breakfast s , and a hotel , The Castle Hotel , built on the site of the outer bailey of the old Bishops Castle . Sights in the town include Bishop ' s Castle Town Hall , the House on Crutches and the town ' s two breweries . Many properties are painted in various colourful hues of blue , pink , yellow and green . Culture . The town has a few events throughout the year in which the High Street is closed and processions , stalls and entertainment is held . Four main festivals are : the Carnival - 1st Sunday in July . The Beer Festival the Friday and Saturday after the Carnival , Michelmas Fair - the end of September and the Christmas Lights Festival on the first Saturday in December . The music scene is vibrant and the town is renowned locally for this thriving musical environment . There are five main venues situated in the town : the Three Tuns , the Public Hall , the Vaults , the Church Barn , and the Six Bells . Classical concerts are put on at nearby Walcot Hall . There is a Town marching band which plays at important civic events . There is a local samba band that plays at town events . A local youth organisation , " Spot Light " , puts on monthly concerts and music workshops . Many more local bands and musicians are associated with this organisation . There are many DJs in the area , playing a variety of styles . The Shropshire Bedlams & Martha Rhoden ' s Tuppenny Dish Morris Teams are based in Bishop ' s Castle and meet at the Three Tuns Inn and Lydbury North Village Hall every week . Education . The town also possesses a community college / sixth form , which teaches 11 to 18 year - olds from the town and surrounding villages . It currently has just under 600 students . It also has a primary school . Sport . Sports played by local clubs include : Cricket . 1st XI play in Division 2 of the Shropshire County Cricket League , the 2nd XI play in Reserve Division 3 , and the Club play friendlies on Sundays , with regular youth coaching sessions ( usually Monday evenings ) and matches for school age children . Cricket was first recorded being played in 1841 on Love Lane , and the club was officially formed in 1896 at a meeting held in the Six Bells public house , and have played at the Manor Ground since 1946 . The 1st XI equalled their highest ever finish of 4th in 2011 ( previously achieved in 2009 ) with a record points total of 332 . The Clubs social base is the Castle Hotel off Market Square . Football . Bishop ' s Castle Town FC play in the Mercian Regional Football League ' s Division One . Previously ( before moving in 2010 ) they played in Division 1 of the Montgomeryshire Amateur League , having gained promotion from Division 2 in the early 1990s , and having joined Division 2 in 1984 - 85 . Before that they played in various leagues including the South Shropshire League and the West Shropshire Alliance . The Club was formed in the 1880s . The Clubs Social Base after matches and for meetings is The Kings Head Public House in Church Street , the Club play their Home matches at the Community College ground on Colebatch Road . Rugby . Bishop ' s Castle and Onny Valley Rugby Club was formed in the late 1970s and spent the early years playing friendly games against teams from Mid - Wales and Shropshire , before joining the league structure in the early 1990s . Now they play in Midlands Division Three North . Transport . Bishop ' s Castle has been on a main route for travellers since prehistoric times , although the town was bypassed in the 19th century by Thomas Telford ' s great road . The inns would have provided accommodation for travellers and have stabled their horses . There is no main road running through the town , though the A488 runs north - south just to the east of the town , on its way from Shrewsbury , Pontesbury and Minsterley to Clun and Knighton . The B4385 runs around the town and connects with the A488 . Bishops Castle had a railway , the Bishops Castle Railway , between 1865 and 1935 . Originally it was meant to go from Craven Arms to Montgomery , although it never made it that far as the money ran out . Sections of the old railway can still be seen today , including some of the embankments , bridges and stations . Today the nearest station is Broome on the Heart of Wales Line . There is a limited daytime bus service ( # 553 ) on Mondays to Saturdays between Bishops Castle and Shrewsbury Bus Station .