The fall and rise of Donnington Village
St Mary's Church Shaw-cum-Donnington, Church Road, Shaw, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2DR
Following on from Heritage Open Day 2024 and the Reconstruction of Donnington Castle, the Shaw-cum-Donnington Community Heritage Team is again co-producing this year's HOD event with English Heritage. It takes the form of a Symposium arranged by Shaw-cum-Donnington Heritage in which Dr David Peacock will introduce us in the morning into the world of the Crutched Friars of Donnington Priory, supported by English Heritage Volunteers, senior students from Trinity Academy, who will present a 21st century perspective of high status residents of Donnington Village.
The Symposium is interactive exploring with English Heritage how together can discover, and possibly unearth, the early history and stories of the fall of Donnington Village at the time of the Civil War siege, the slighting of the Castle after the Glorious Surrender, and its rise over the next four centuries. There will be opportunities to learn how you can become involved with researching and contributing to a fuller understanding of this iconic national monument and discovering how important local residents influenced the development of the local Community in which we live, and also played significant roles in our Nation's History
In the afternoon starting at 2.00 pm 4 (four) complimentary introductory guided tours led by English Heritage and local volunteers have been arranged at the Gate House of Donnington Castle.
Timings & Tours
- Saturday 13 September:
- Symposium 1000-1300, Gate House Tours 1400-1600
Location & directions
St Mary's Church Shaw-cum-Donnington, Church Road, Shaw, Newbury, Berkshire, RG14 2DR
- Directions:
- St Mary's Church is located between Shaw House and Trinity Academy and there is limited free parking in the Church Car Park across Church Road from the Lychgate.
- Contact on day:
- David Willetts
- Telephone number:
- +447714211024
Booking information
- Pre-booking requirement:
- Pre-booking required
- Booking conditions:
- The Symposium and the Gate House Tours are both integral to the Event as whole on the day. Tickets are limited to 10 people per tour and can be accessed with tickets for the Symposium or via this English Heritage online link: https://www.heritageopendays.org.uk/submission-event/donnington-castle-guided-tours.html In view of expected high demand for the Tours, tickets for the 2 pm Tour are reserved for those attending the Symposium and will be allocated by lot on the day at St. Mary's Church
- Booking contact name:
- David Willetts
- Booking telephone number:
- +447714211024
- Booking email:
- [email protected]
- Booking opens:
- 12 Aug 2025 12:00 AM
- Booking closes:
- 08 Sep 2025 12:00 PM
Accessibility details
The Access information relates to St Mary's Church. Access for the Tours is from the Castle Car Park, the Castle is uphill along a fairly steep gravelled path, and the castle ruins are based on a grassy area, which is uneven. Parking costs £2 for non-members (payable by text), is free for Members with a valid English Heritage car sticker, and can also be paid in advance online. Please be mindful of our neighbours and do not block access or lanes in the village should the car park be full. If you are local, you might choose to walk or cycle to the Castle.
Additional information
Shaw-cum-Donnington Community Heritage and English Heritage are charitable organisations who have shared aspirations to open the Gate House on a regular basis, to explore and research more of the remarkable history of the Castle and the villages of Shaw and Donnington for the benefit of our Community, and to welcome visitors from far and near to future events . This Heritage Open Day is an opportunity to join in at the beginning of this co-working collaboration, contributing personal knowledge, skills, connections, time and resource to bringing this ambition to fruition.
- Max no of people per tour:
- 10
- Est. tour duration:
- 0 hour(s) 30 minute(s)
