Dunstaffnage Castle (Scotland)
Oban, Argyll, built before 1275 with a high curtain-wall on the rock ; ruined by fire in 1810 , when only some of the courtyard buildings survived video:
curtain wall
Bodiam Castle (in Sussex)
Sussex, a former military stronghold, uninhabited since the Civil War; location for many movies. Bodiam Castle is situated beside the River Rother in East Sussex. The castle was built in… Read More »Bodiam Castle (in Sussex)
Beaumaris Castle (in Wales) – All about
Gwynedd, a castle of King Edward I , on Isle of Anglesey; a perfect example of a concentrically planned castle. This unusual, yet magnificent building, located in the county town… Read More »Beaumaris Castle (in Wales) – All about
Croft Castle (Best pics)
Situated in Leominster, Herefordshire, is a 17th century stone quadrangular fortress, built close to the site of the old medieval castle. At each corner of the high curtain wall is a small round tower, with a small square tower flanking the north side. The Croft family have lived here since before the Norman invasion. It is thought that the Norman family de Croft came over during the time of Edward the Confessor, and by the time of Domesday, a Bernard de Croft held the land. Although now run by the National Trust, members of the Croft family still live in the castle and on the estate, thus continuing the ancient family association. Croft was re-opened to the public in April 2003 after a year long facelift.
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The Bramber Castle
William De Braose constructed the motte and bailey castle at Bramber c1070, along with the Norman church, and most of the surviving masonry dates from this time. Except for a period of confiscation during the reign of King John, Bramber Castle remained in the ownership of the De Braose family until the line died out in 1324. During Norman times the coastline would have been much further inland, and at high tide the water would have reached the castle walls.
Despite very little surviving, the basic layout of some areas of the castle can be identified. The most prominent feature is a large, rugged lump of stone, all that remains of the Gatehouse tower. Still standing to almost its full height, a single window, and some floor joist holes, are clearly visible within the structure. Beyond the Gatehouse are the existing foundations of what is believed to have been living quarters and a guardhouse. The dressed pillars of an entrance can be made out, but the bulk of the remaining walls now consist of only the basic rough stone infil, the better quality dressing stone having long since been quarried away for use elsewhere. Lying to the north of the gatehouse is the original castle motte, it’s earthen mound rising to a height of some 30ft (10m). A short distance away is a section of the curtain wall and, again, this survives to a reasonable height, up to 10ft (3m) in places.
Bolsover Castle
Raised by the Peverel family in the 12thcentury, very little is known of the original castle at Bolsover. A stone Keep was built c1173, surrounded by a curtain wall with an outer bailey, but the wall was breached in 1216 during the reign of King John. Surviving fragments of this curtain wall were later incorporated in a wall walk that can be seen in the castle garden.
The castle became Crown property in 1155 when the third William Peverel fled into exile, but by 1400 it had lost its strategic importance. Years of occupation by tenants had left Bolsover Castle ruinous by the time it was purchased by Sir George Talbot in 1553. Talbot, later becoming the 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, is noted for two famous associations. Firstly, his marriage to ‘Bess of Hardwick’, probably the most astute business woman of the 16th century, who owned the vast Chatsworth estates. And then his lengthy term as keeper to the exiled Mary Queen of Scots, a 16 year duty that seriously drained the family’s resources.