The Fall and Rise of Donnington Village

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. Booking Conditions (via Eventbrite]

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

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.

Donnington Castle under siege

The King's Camp at Donnington Castle 1644

Dalbier's Mead: Site of negotiation of the Glorious Surrender 1644

A Slighted castle looks down on Donnington Village

Donnington Village is rebuilt