Stokesay Castle is a widely- known destination, restaurant, and special events venue situated upon ten acres on Mount Penn, overlooking the City of Reading. But originally, the castle was designed as a mountain-top vacation home for George Baer Hiester, courtesy of his cousin Frederick A. Muhlenberg, founder of Muhlenberg Greene Architects, Ltd.
Stokesay Castle’s namesake is from a 13th Century castle situated at Stokesay in Shropshire. The castle in England is one of the finest surviving fortified manor houses in the country.
Built carefully by Reading area locals to copy the original castle’s manor house features, the hand-carved beams, leaded windows, and stonework mimic the majesty of the English structure. Stokesay Castle is truly a living ode to the craftsmanship of the era. Current visitors and diners liken the Pennsylvania castle to a fairy tale setting.
Although Stokesay took a decade to create, the owner’s wife did not care for the building. It was occasionally used as a vacation home and for entertaining until the family sold the private residence in 1956.
Today, Stokesay Castle is a thriving fine dining restaurant, pub, and special occasion venue. Muhlenberg Greene Architects, Ltd. was commissioned to update the facility with a new pub addition for casual dining, called The Knight’s Pub. The update included the removal of a large tree that had grown too close to the building. A wood carving artist sculpted a large wooden knight out front of the pub entrance, which you can see featured frequently on social media.
Written by Suzanne Cody,
Marketing Coordinator, Muhlenberg Greene Architects, Ltd.
