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Constructed between 1540 and 1545, Pendennis and its sister St Mawes Castle form the Cornish end of the chain of coastal castles built by Henry VIII to counter a threat from France and Spain. Thereafter Pendennis was frequently adapted to face new...

With a history stretching back over 16 centuries, Pevensey Castle chronicles more graphically than any other fortress the story of Britain's south coast defences. Beginning in the 4th century as one of the last and strongest of the Roman 'Saxon Shore'...

Perched high above the pretty village of Castleton, the castle offers breathtaking views of the Peak District. Founded soon after the Norman Conquest of 1066 by William Peverel, one of King William's most trusted knights, it played an important role...

Pickering Castle is set in an attractive moors-edge market town. It is a classic and well-preserved example of an early earthwork castle refortified in stone during the 13th and 14th centuries, centred upon a shellkeep crowning an impressive motte. There...

Portchester Castle's commanding location has made it a major factor in the Solent's defences for hundreds of years. The most impressive and bestpreserved of the Roman 'Saxon Shore' forts, Portchester was originally built in the late 3rd century. It is...

The history of this fortress, which overlooks Portland harbour, is diverse and fascinating. Built by Henry VIII to defend the anchorage against possible French and Spanish invasion, its squat appearance is typical of the artillery forts built in the...

Begun between 1100 and 1120 to defend a strategic crossing of the River Tyne against Scottish invaders, Prudhoe Castle has been continuously occupied for over nine centuries. After two sieges during the 1170s - the Scots attackers reportedly declaring...

The great 13th-century circular shell-keep of Restormel still encloses the principal rooms of the castle in remarkably good condition. It stands on an earlier Norman mound surrounded by a deep dry ditch, atop a high spur beside the River Fowey....

Breathtakingly sited on a rocky promontory above the River Swale, the great castle of Richmond is among the oldest Norman stone fortresses in Britain, begun in the decades after the Conquest. The towering keep, over 30 metres (100 feet) high and...

Strategically placed astride the London Road, guarding an important crossing of the River Medway, this imposing fortress has a complex history of destruction and rebuilding. Its mighty Norman tower-keep of Kentish ragstone was built c. 1127 by William of...

Perched high on a headland above the North Sea, Scarborough Castle occupies one of the most dramatic castle sites in the country and boasts over 2,500 years of turbulent history. Before the castle was built, this natural fortress was favoured by...

Built by Bishop Roger of Salisbury in the 12th century as a strongly defended palace, Sherborne Old Castle became a powerful Royalist base during the Civil War. Described as 'malicious and mischievous' by Cromwell, it fell in 1645 after a fierce...

The best preserved and most elaborately decorated of Henry VIII's coastal fortresses, St Mawes was built to counter invasion threats from France and Spain. Its counterpart is Pendennis, on the other side of the Fal estuary. The clover-leaf shaped fort...

Stokesay Castle is the finest and best preserved 13th-century fortified manor house in England. It offers visitors a unique glimpse into a distant age, when strength and elegance were combined. Set amid peaceful countryside near the Welsh border,...

The enormous and ornate fortified gatehouse of Thornton Abbey is the largest and among the finest of all English monastic gatehouses. An early example of brick building in England, it proclaimed the wool tradebased prosperity of one of the...

With its spectacular location on one of Britain's most dramatic coastlines, Tintagel is an awe-inspiring and romantic spot, a place of legends. Joined to the mainland by a narrow neck of land, Tintagel Island faces the full force of the Atlantic. On the...

A classic Norman motte and bailey castle, founded soon after the Conquest to overawe the Saxon town. A later stone shell-keep crowns its steep mound, giving sweeping views across the town rooftops to the River Dart. Keep accessible only via steep steps.

Set in an almost impregnable position on a steep headland between the river and the North Sea, Tynemouth has always been as much a fortress as a religious site. Here stood a 7th-century Anglian monastery, burial place of Oswin, sainted king of...

Set in tranquil grounds adjoining a riverside village, this rare example of an Elizabethan artillery fort was begun in 1559 and redeveloped in 1599-1601, to protect warships moored at Chatham dockyards. Despite a brave attempt, it entirely failed to do...

Originally built during the reign of Henry VIII as part of a chain of coastal artillery defences against Catholic attack from Europe,Walmer Castle has evolved over time into an elegant residence. Walmer Castle became the official residence of the Lord...