Situated in a secluded corner of a grand country house estate, the mellow red sandstone walls of an important medieval manor house now stand in the shade of the spreading boughs of a majestic Cedar of Lebanon.

Built in the late 13th century by Robert Burnell, a powerful Shropshire landowner and good friend of King Edward I, Acton Burnell Castle was constructed near the old Roman road of Watling Street - which ran from Richborough in the south east (via London) to the nearby Roman city of Wroxeter.

The original manor house of Acton Burnell received the title of 'castle' when a license to crenellate (build battlements) was granted by Edward I on 28 January 1284. Both Acton Burnell and Stokesay Castle are fortified manor houses as opposed to 'real castles', but visitors to the area cannot fail to notice how different in style these buildings are.

As seen today, Acton Burnell Castle is a large rectangular building, predominantly two storeys high, with a sturdy square tower at each of the four corners. Originally, this would have formed the heart of the complex containing Robert Burnell's self-contained private apartments. However, the arrangement of the castle is largely unknown, although it probably comprised kitchens, guest rooms, a great hall, stables and workshops - all being contained within an outer defensive curtain wall and possibly a moat. Several archways now appear at ground floor level, but these were cut through much later when the ruins were transformed into a picturesque 'folly'.

Robert Burnell's rebuilding also included the construction of the nearby church of St Mary, and most of the neighbouring village. On private land, adjacent to the manor house, stand the gable-end remains of what was once a large barn. In 1283 Edward I is reputed to have held the first English meeting of parliament at Acton Burnell, with the 'Lords' sitting in the castle and the 'Commons' sitting in the barn. It is the first recorded time in English history that the law making process had included the Commons, and the subsequent law passed became known as The Statute of Acton Burnell.

After Burnell's death in 1292, the castle remained in the family for a short time before passing to the Lovells of Titchmarsh through marriage. The Lovell family were still in ownership of the castle into the 15th century and, in fact, Henry VIII confiscated Acton Burnell from them in 1485. In the 16th century the estate was granted to Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, before passing into the hands of the Smythe family in the mid 17th century.

With the castle now largely ruinous, a new house was built on the estate in the classical style, becoming known as Acton Burnell Hall (now Concord College). As part of the project, the ancient hunting park of Robert Burnell was transformed into landscaped parkland with lakes and follies, of which Acton Burnell Castle became one of the features.