WHITTINGTON CASTLE

Whittington Castle is a motte-and-bailey castle in North Shropshire, England, owned and managed by the Whittington Castle Preservation Fund. The castle, as a motte-and-bailey castle, was constructed on a large, steep mound of dirt and enclosed in a courtyard by a fence or curtain wall. As a castle of the Welsh Marches, it was built on the border of Wales and England very close to the historic fort of Old Oswestry.

The Whittington Castle is unique in that it is the only castle in the UK which is owned and managed by a community of local residents. Today, it is a popular castle for tourism for its physical attraction. Whittington castle resides on a 12-acre (49,000 m2) property in the village of Whittington, in the district of North Shropshire, in the county of Shropshire in England.

In 2003, a historical and archaeological investigation by Peter Brown and Peter King identified that the outer bailey of the castle had been two elaborate gardens and surrounded by water in the 14th century. This discovery was significant in that it proved the advanced state (as compared to those of the French or Flemish) of English gardening habits. The "lavish" garden was installed by one of the FitzWarin family. The viewing mound in the center may be the oldest of its type yet discovered in England

One of the most prominent legends concerning Whittington Castle regards the Marian Chalice, thought by some to be the Holy Grail. According to this legend, Sir Fulk FitzWarin, the great grandson of Payne Peveril and one in the line of guardians of the Grail and King Arthur. A story from the 13th century states that the Grail was kept in a private chapel of the castle when Sir Foulke was there. The coat of arms of Fulk FitzWarin is hung above the castle archway.