There are so many castles that I have visited in the past, and there are so many that I still have left to visit. It’s been a long time since I visited a castle though, I think the last one was Bolsover Castle with Luke and I miss exploring these marvellous creations. So I think…
Category: Castles
Stokesay Castle – Castle Review
Built: 1285 Location: SY7 9AH History: Stokesay Castle is a remarkable survival, a fortified manor house which has hardly altered since the late 13th century. The house was built by Lawrence Ludlow, a leading wool merchant of his day, who created a comfortable residence combining an aesthetically pleasing design with some defensive capabilities. In doing so, he took…
Kenilworth Castle – Castle Review
Built: 1120s Location: Castle Green, Kenilworth CV8 1NG History: Kenilworth is one of England’s most magnificent castles. First built in the 1120s and a royal castle for most of its history, it was expanded by King John, John of Gaunt and Henry V. In 1563 Elizabeth I granted it to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who converted Kenilworth…
Stafford Castle – Castle Review
Built: 1347 Location: Stafford ST16 1DJ History: First built as a hugh timber fortrest in 1100 AD by Robert de Toeni, (later known as Robert of Stafford) under the orders of William the Conqueror in the Norman period, Stafford Castle has dominated the local skyline for over 900 years. It saw action during the Civil War, when it withstood…
Bolsover Castle – Castle Review
Built: 1613 Location: Bolsover, Chesterfield S44 6PR History: The castle was founded in the late 11th century by William Peverel, one of William the Conqueror’s knights, but it was neglected from the mid-14th century. Its ruins provided the setting for the Little Castle begun in 1612 by Sir Charles Cavendish as a retreat from his principal seat…
Warwick Castle – Castle Review
Built: 1068 Location: Warwick CV34 4QU History: Warwick Castle is a medieval castle developed from a wooden fort, originally built by William the Conqueror during 1068. Warwick is the county town of Warwickshire, England, situated on a bend of the River Avon. The original wooden motte-and-bailey castle was rebuilt in stone during the 12th century. Review: So I’ve…
Dolbadarn Castle – Castle Review
Built: Between 1220s and 1230s Location: Caernarfon LL55 4UB History: Dolbadarn Castle is a fortification built by the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great during the early 13th century, at the base of the Llanberis Pass, in northern Wales. The castle was important both militarily and as a symbol of Llywelyn’s power and authority. The castle features a large stone keep, which historian Richard Avent considers “the…
Valle Crucis Abbey
Built: 1553-1560s Location: Llangollen LL20 8DD History: Valle Crucis was truly Welsh from the moment it was founded in 1201 by Prince Madog ap Gruffydd and the ‘white monks’ of the Cistercian order. Its Latin name (Valley of the Cross) refers to the nearby ninth-century Pillar of Eliseg, erected for the glory of a Welsh chieftain. Monks had…
Penrith Castle – Castle Review
Built: Between 1399-1470 Location: Ullswater Rd, Penrith CA11 7EA History: Penrith Castle was begun at the end of the 14th century by Ralph Neville, who played a key role in defending this area against the Scots. It was later transformed into a luxurious residence by Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who became Richard III. Surviving to their…
Tamworth Castle – Castle Review
Built: 1080s Location: Holloway, Ladybank, Tamworth B79 7NA History: Tamworth Castle, a Grade I listed building, is a Norman castle, overlooking the confluence of the River Anker and the River Tame, in the town of Tamworth in Staffordshire, England. Before boundary changes in 1889, however, the castle site was originally on the edge of Warwickshire, while most…
Kenilworth Castle – Castle Review
Built: 1120s Location: Castle Green, Kenilworth CV8 1NG History: Kenilworth is one of England’s most magnificent castles. First built in the 1120s and a royal castle for most of its history, it was expanded by King John, John of Gaunt and Henry V. In 1563 Elizabeth I granted it to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who converted Kenilworth…
Bamburgh Castle – Castle Review
Built: It started with the realm’s foundation in c.420 until 547 and continued to grow ever since that day. Location: Northumberland Coast AONB, Bamburgh NE69 7DF History: Bamburgh’s written history begins in the times of the Anglo-Saxons with one chronicler citing Bamburgh as probably the most important place in all of England. But even before this there were…
