A Crowning Glory for Alton Castle
- Jun 12
- 1 min read
This year Alton Castle celebrates its 30th anniversary as a residential retreat and to and to mark the occasion a huge lantern has been commissioned.
Constructed by local blacksmith, Jim Plant of Cheadle, the lantern has been built in his workshop over a number of years. It's so large (about 8ft in diameter) that he could hardly move around his workshop during assembly! A local electrician wired the unit up to the British safety standard, and the unit now sits in an area where the children on retreat eat their meals, bringing much-needed light to their seating area.
The lantern is created in the shape of a crown to represent the coronet on the crest of the Earl of Shrewsbury, who was the nobleman who commissioned the building of the castle. It was designed by A.W.N. Pugin, the same architect as the Catholic Church in Cheadle.
The Earl never lived in the castle, which was built between 1847-1852, but this building is well used today and looks incredible thanks to craftsmen and tradespeople like Jim Plant.
Our thanks go to Kris Doughty, who showed our reporter around the magnificent castle.
A Crowning Glory for Alton Castle - created 12th June 2026
