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History

There have been people living and working on the site of the hotel for over a 1000 years, and we hope to continue to add to that illustrious history in the future! The Castle is built on the site of the original Bishop’s Castle, using stone scavenged from the ruins.

Going back to the beginning……..The Castle Hotel stands on land which in Saxon times was owned by Egwin Shakehead – who got his name from the violent tremors induced by Palsy. When he was miraculously cured of this disease in around 780, Egwin expressed his gratitude by giving this land to the Bishops of Hereford in perpetuity.

Twenty years after the Norman Conquest in 1066 the then Bishop of Hereford built a castle here to defend the church and village from the threat of the marauding Welsh. As peace later came to the Welsh Marches, Bishop’s Castle became one of the notorious electorally corrupt ‘rotten boroughs’ as satirised in the television series Blackadder where the sitting member for a rotten borough was ‘a Dachshund called Colin’. (By coincidence a Dachshund still lives at the hotel!)

In the early 18th century The Castle began to deteriorate and in 1719 The Castle Hotel was constructed from the castle ruins on part of the site of the original Castle, by order of James Brydges, Duke of Chandos, a local landowner and a man of vast wealth.

The 1st Duke of Candos sold The Castle Hotel to John Walcot who in turn sold it to Robert Clive (1725 – 1774), known more famously as “Clive of India”, founder of the British Empire in India. Clive later sold The Castle Hotel onto 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.

For more information on the history and heritage of Bishop’s Castle we have a very active and respected Bishop’s Castle Heritage Resource Centre. A local heritage store and activity centre celebrating local history and keeping it within the community for people to use and enjoy. For more information please click here.

“Highly recommended by friends the Hotel did not disappoint. charming and helpful staff, delicious food and drink and comfortable room made this a very pleasant overnight stay on our Journey.”

A. Person — Trip Advisor

This is a wonderful place to enjoy if you’re in Bishop’s Castle. We called in for coffee and cake on the Saturday and returned for Sunday lunch the next day. Fantastic service, excellent food and drink and a really nice atmosphere.

Keith G
1 August 2026
We had 2 specifications a walk in shower and a large bed bigger than a double! The Castle Hotel could meet both requirements! The room was large and well ventilated ,it was very hot, not anyone s fault. What there was an outside seating area close to our room.
The hotel is very dog friendly which we didn t mind but may not suit everyone.
The hotel is very old, lots of changes of level and very atmospheric. The Dining Room has wooden panelling , I expected Mrs Bennett to appear.
The cooking is excellent . We drank excellent local wine from the nearby winery, local beer was available. I suspect the ice cream was also local.
A daily what s on sheet was provided at breakfast , a nice touch to encourage local visits.

ahs1956
1 August 2026
The Castle Hotel is a very well managed hotel. Staff are well trained (and really pleasant and helpful) and everything was very efficient. This was a one night stay as we were cycle touring ; our bikes were safely stored and we were upgraded to a better room which was spacious and comfortable and really tastefully decorated. The only minor disadvantage was the proximity of the Town Hall clock which strikes every 15 minutes night and day - we had to close the window. The food in the restaurant is good, and well
priced, although for us the portions were too large. Breakfast was fine. Check in and checkout times are generous (3pm and 11am respectively) The garden is a very pretty and relaxing space and there is a guest terrace.
We would have no hesitation in returning.

Dajtrav
1 August 2026