Exploring Herefordshire……in Rain and no shine (Part Five)

Croft Castle

No let up in the rain, so no grand Parkland and Garden shots to inspire you to visit which is rather a shame as Croft Castle is set in very beautiful surroundings. ‘Bernard the Bearded’ was directed to build a Castle on this spot in 1055 as defence against the ‘Troublesome Welsh’ offering some protection for the English border. There has been a Castle on the site ever since, while much modified and expanded over the centuries you can still find substantial parts of the original at its core. Not sure how but the Castle became home to the Croft Family, distinguished Royalist for much of that time. Sadly, as appears to be the way of these matters, financial disaster ended 700 years of Croft ownership when Sir Archer Croft went Bankrupt in 1746 (The infamous South Sea Bubble Burst was to blame). The story ends happily, for many years later Lady Katherine Croft reclaimed the Castle in 1923 and had a busy life until the death of Sir James Croft in 1941 when the Castle and Lands went into Trust. The Castle and its extensive Grounds are open to the public. But the Croft tradition still lives on as members of the family still live in apartments within the Castle.

A Brief Tour……