Bishop Castle has recently been in the news due to family-led plans to continue expansions after the founder’s death in late 2024. The current owner’s son expressed intentions to extend Roy’s Tower and improve the grounds, while keeping the site open to visitors with a donation-supported model. A memorial for Jim Bishop was also announced for mid-2025, with dates shared on the castle’s social media channels.
Key updates you might want to know:
- Ongoing development: Dan Bishop plans to add a ~30-foot extension to Roy’s Tower, connect it via a bridge, and enhance landscaping and interior finishes, though progress has depended on seasonal conditions.
- Access and operations: The castle remains open to visitors on an enter-at-your-own-risk basis, with donations requested to support maintenance.
- Memorial: A family-planned memorial for Jim Bishop was anticipated around June–July 2025, with specific dates to be posted on Bishop Castle’s social platforms.
For broader context, Bishop Castle has previously recovered quickly after a 2018 fire that destroyed a gift shop and guest house, with the site reopening soon after and continuing to grow as a folk-art landmark.
Sources
Adrian Bishop would be the first to concede that keeping up appearances in English village life can be a thankless task these days. Mr Bishop, a retired airline pilot with an alert RAF moustache, is chairman of the parish council of Castle Combe, an exquisite collection of 15th-century stone-tiled cottages decorating the By Brook river valley in deepest rural Wiltshire. Here the modern world has not just passed by, it has been forced back by a tide of conservatism and conservation.
www.the-independent.comThe roadside attraction was closed for a few days after the blaze on March 28.
www.westword.comBy John Lyons EXPERIENCED boss Steve Castle is relishing the chance to help Bishop’s Stortford get back on track following their National League North nightmare. The Hertfordshire club won the Isthmian Premier in 2022-23, but their joy was diluted when they were placed in the northern section of Non-League’s second tier. In the end, the […]
www.thenonleaguefootballpaper.comAll the latest content about Bishop's Castle from the BBC.
www.bbc.comBishop castle is a “one-man-project” named after its constructor, Jim Bishop, that has become a roadside attraction in central Colorado. Bishop Castle’s
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