Castle restoration project secures support

A Midlands construction consultancy has secured a key role in the restoration of one of Staffordshire’s most historic visitor attractions.

Pulse Consult has been appointed to provide quantity surveying and commercial management services for the £1.9 million restoration of Tamworth Castle.

Working with Tamworth Borough Council and principal contractor Messenger, the firm will oversee project finances from feasibility through to completion, with a focus on cost certainty and protecting the landmark’s historic integrity.

Daryl Woolley, director at Pulse Consult, said: “Restoring a building with nearly a millennium of history presents unique structural and financial challenges. 

“Our role, drawing on our strong track record in heritage projects, is to provide the rigorous cost control necessary to navigate these complexities, helping the council deliver a sustainable restoration that preserves the castle's historic significance for future generations.” 

The Grade I-listed landmark dates back nearly 1000 years, with Tamworth’s history stretching even further to its time as a royal centre of the Mercian kingdom under King Offa in the late eighth century.

After being sacked by Viking forces in 874, the town was rebuilt in 913 by Æthelflæd, Lady of the Mercians and eldest daughter of Alfred the Great, cementing its status as one of the most important settlements in Anglo-Saxon England.

The present castle traces its origins to the Norman period, when Robert Despenser built a wooden motte and bailey fortress on the site in the 1080s following the Norman Conquest, which was gradually rebuilt in stone over the following century.

Ian Bird, regional director of Messenger, added: “It's a real privilege to work on a local building of this stature both for our management team and local workforce. 

“Repairing and conserving these buildings is vitally important and will give us an opportunity to engage with local people and the construction college to help train and expose students to this little-known construction sector.

“We look forward to working with the castle staff and project team in delivering long lasting solutions to some of the current problems faced with the castle.”

The restoration is funded by Arts Council England’s Museum Estate and Development Fund and Tamworth Borough Council, with phased works due to begin in summer 2026.

Councillor Lewis Smith, Tamworth Borough Council's portfolio holder for people services, engagement and leisure, added: “This is not a straightforward construction project, it will require a collaborative approach from a wide team of specialists, working together to give our castle the love and care it needs, while keeping as much of it open to visitors as possible.”

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