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Perhaps the most famous date in English history - 1066 is the year the Normans defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings.William the Conqueror founded 'Battle' Abbey to commemorate his victory: here, on the site of its high altar, you can stand at...

Ashby Castle forms the backdrop to the famous jousting scenes in Sir Walter Scott's classic novel of 1819, Ivanhoe. Now a ruin, the castle began as a manor house in the 12th century. It only achieved castle status in the 15th century, by which time the...

One of the finest and most unaltered examples of a 13th-century English manor house, Aydon Castle stands in a secluded woodland setting. It was originally built as an undefended residence, but almost immediately fortified on the outbreak of...

Barnard Castle is spectacularly set on a high rock above the River Tees, on the fringe of an attractive market town. Taking its name from its 12th-century founder, Bernard de Balliol, this huge and imposing fortress was later developed by the Beauchamp...

Spectacularly crowning a sandstone crag towering above the Cheshire Plain, Beeston Castle is among the most dramatically- sited fortresses in England. Its extensive wooded surroundings, rich in wildlife, are now even more fascinating to...

Belsay has something for everyone. A fine medieval castle, enlarged into a Jacobean mansion; the imposing Greek Revival villa which succeeded it; and the outstanding, plant-rich gardens linking the two buildings. The whole ensemble is the creation of...

Tucked away in a steep wooded valley, Berry Pomeroy Castle is the perfect romantic ruin.Within the 15th-century defences of the Pomeroy family castle, still displaying a wall painting of the Three Kings in its gatehouse chamber, looms the dramatic...

The ruins of a medieval palace (together with later additions) used by the Bishops and senior clergy of Winchester as they travelled through their diocese. Winchester was the richest diocese in England, and its properties were grandiose and...

'By an unlikely miracle,' wrote the architectural historian Mark Girouard, 'the keep at Bolsover has survived into this century as an almost untouched expression in stone of the lost world of Elizabethan chivalry and romance.' Dominating the countryside...

In a picturesque setting beside the crossing of the River Eamont, Brougham Castle was founded in the early 13th century by King John's agent Robert de Vieuxpont. His great keep largely survives, amid many later buildings - including the unusual double...

Byland was one of the great Yorkshire Cistercian abbeys, housing at its zenith well over 200 monks and lay brothers. Much of its huge cathedral-sized church survives, including the whole north side and the greater part of the 13th-century west front. The...

This artillery fort, built by Henry VIII to defend the sea passage to Southampton,was recently used as a Navy and RAF base.

The ruins of an unusually unaltered artillery fort, built by Henry VIII to guard the port of Rye. There are monthly guided walks round Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, including the castle. Contact the Reserve Manager for further details.

Carisbrooke Castle has been the key to the Isle of Wight's security for more than nine centuries. There has been a fortress here since Saxon times, but the present castle was begun in c. 1100, when the Isle of Wight was granted to the de Redvers family....

Standing strongly in the city it has dominated for nine centuries, Carlisle Castle was a constantly updated working fortress until well within living memory. Now its rich and varied visitor attractions reflect its long and eventful history. Even before...

One of the largest and best preserved monastic sites in England, the foundation of Castle Acre Priory in about 1090 sprang directly from a visit by William de Warenne II and his wife Gundrada to the great French monastery of Cluny. So impressed were they...

One of the largest, best preserved and most lavishly decorated keeps in England, surrounded by 20 acres of mighty earthworks. Begun in 1138 by William d'Albini for his new wife, the widow of Henry I, in the 14th century it became the luxurious...

In 1068-9, William the Conqueror built two motte and bailey castles in York, to strengthen his military hold on the North. Clifford's Tower, an unusual four-lobed keep built in the 13th century atop the mound of William's larger fortress, is now the...

One of South Yorkshire's best surviving examples of medieval military architecture, with a reinstated roof and floors, this 12th-century castle is a spectacular structure. Built of magnesian limestone, it is the only example of its kind in Europe, and...

One of the most picturesquely- sited fortresses in England. For over six hundred years Dartmouth Castle has guarded the narrow entrance to the Dart Estuary and the busy, vibrant port of Dartmouth. This fascinating complex of defences was begun in 1388...