Deal Castle is one of the finest Tudor artillery castles in
England. It is among the earliest and most elaborate of a chain of
coastal forts,which also includes Calshot, Camber,Walmer and
Pendennis Castles.Most were built 'with all speed, and...
Spectacularly situated above the white cliffs on the Kent coastline, Dover Castle boasts a fascinating history. Explore Henry II's medieval Great Tower and the labyrinth of Secret Wartime Tunnels.
Dramatic Dunstanburgh Castle was built at a time when relations
between King Edward II and his most powerful baron, Earl Thomas of
Lancaster, had become openly hostile. Lancaster began the fortress
in 1313, and the latest archaeological research carried...
Etal was built in the mid-14th century by Robert Manners as a
defence against Scots raiders, in a strategic position by a ford
over the River Till. It fell to James IV's invading Scots army in
1513, immediately before their catastrophic defeat at...
In a picturesque valley of the river Frome, on the border between Wiltshire and Somerset and 9 miles from Bath stands the remains of Farleigh Hungerford Castle. Started in the 14th century it still has much for the visitor to enjoy and provides a great...
The impressive motte and shell keep of a castle founded in 1138 by
Bishop Henry of Blois. Long a residence of the wealthy bishops of
Winchester, the accommodation in the keep was updated in the 1520s.
The keep was abandoned after Civil War service: but...
Framlingham is a magnificent example of a late 12th-century castle.
Built by Roger Bigod, Earl of Norfolk, one of the most influential
people at the court of the Plantagenet kings, the castle, together
with Framlingham Mere, was designed both as a...
Goodrich stands majestically on a wooded hill commanding the
passage of the River Wye into the picturesque valley of Symonds
Yat. The castle was begun in the late 11th century, by the English
thegn Godric who gave it his name.
A generation later the...
Surrounded by spectacular banks and ditches, the great medieval
castle's impressive ruins stand beside the attractive market town
of Helmsley.
The fortress was probably begun after 1120 by Walter Espec -
'Walter the Woodpecker'. Renowned for piety as...
One of the most advanced of the artillery fortresses built by Henry
VIII: used as a prison for eminent 17th-century captives, and later
strengthened during the 19th and 20th centuries. It commands the
narrow entrance to the Solent.
A vast medieval fortress which became anElizabethan palace,
Kenilworth Castle is one of Britain's largest and most impressive
historic sites. Extensive recent developments highlight its famous
associations with Queen Elizabeth I and her favourite,...
The riverside ruins of an Augustinian priory, picturesquely set in
the beautiful Derwent valley near the Yorkshire Wolds. Features
include a gatehouse bedecked with the heraldry of the De Roos
family of Helmsley Castle, and a handsome set of...
Set on a large natural mound, Launceston Castle dominates the
surrounding landscape. Begun soon after the Norman Conquest, its
focus is an unusual keep consisting of a 13th-century round tower
built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, inside an earlier...
John Fortin, a merchant who traded with Bordeaux, started building
this house c. 1290. A residence and place of business, it stood on
one of the busiest streets in medieval Southampton. Now restored to
its mid-14th-century appearance by the removal of...
The childhood and favourite home of Richard III, Middleham Castle
was a fortress of the mighty Neville family, Earls of Westmoreland
and of Warwick. Around the massive 12thcentury central keep, they
progressively constructed three ranges of luxurious...
Commanding a vital ford over the River Tweed, Norham was one of the
strongest of the border castles, and the most often attacked by the
Scots. Besieged at least 13 times - once for nearly a year by
Robert Bruce - it was called 'the most dangerous and...
The remains of the largest castle in Devon, in an outstandingly
picturesque setting on a wooded spur above the rushing River
Okement. Begun soon after the Norman Conquest as a motte and bailey
castle with a stone keep, it was converted into a...
Discover the story of the orginal Salisbury and take the family for a day out to Old Sarum, 2 miles north of where the city stands now. The mighty Iron Age hill fort was where the first cathedral once stood and the Romans, Normans and Saxons have all...
Set in the peaceful Wiltshire countryside beside a lake, Old Wardour Castle, near Tisbury was once one of the most daring and innovative homes in Britain. It was built in the 14th century as a lightly fortified luxury residence for comfortable living and...
The unique polygonal towerkeep of Orford Castle stands beside the
pretty town and former port which Henry II also developed here in
the 1160s. His aim was to counterbalance the power of turbulent
East Anglian barons like Hugh Bigod of Framlingham, and to...