Shropshire Star

Bridgnorth Castle replica is a marvel to see - with pictures

After years of researching castles around the UK and more than 1,000 hours of sculpting stone walls with a toothpick, a replica model of what Bridgnorth Castle might have looked like has been created.

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Gerry West's model of Bridgnorth Castle

Gerry West, of High Town, Bridgnorth, had been creating military scale models for years before he decided to take on his first building, depicting what the castle may have looked like during the English Civil War in 1646.

The 67-year-old has spent years researching the castle, as very little is known about its origin and how it would have looked.

"No written records exist of what any of the castle looked like prior to its destruction at the end of the Civil War, so much of it is my own interpretation and from research," he said.

Gerry West with his model of Bridgnorth Castle

"I started researching it all about three years ago, and started modelling it just over a year ago.

"It's quite unusual that there are no pictures or good descriptions of what it looked like, so I turned to researching similar castles to get inspiration.

"Educated guess work is how it's been put together and there are a few walls still remaining at the ruin to this day so I was able to use them.

"The King's house is based upon Stokesay Castle's main building, while the gatehouse is replicated from Moreton Corbet Castle, near Shrewsbury, and I also looked at Peveril Castle in Derbyshire as well as speaking to a number of experts."

Gerry West's model of Bridgnorth Castle

Gerry used a plastic foam used for carving to make the sections of the castle, before adding detail, painting them and putting them together.

He added: "It was incredibly tricky and is the kind of thing you have to do little and often – it's been a slow process of spending hours carving stone walls with a toothpick but I'm very pleased with how it's all turned out.

"I'm hoping to be able to exhibit it in Northgate Museum. It's about one square metre in size and a delicate model so we'll have to see if there's room for it."