Barnard Castle
Situated along the River Tees in County Durham, Barnard Castle was originally a modest structure created by Guy de Balliol in the 11th century. Some 100 years later, Guy’s small… Read More »Barnard Castle
fortress
Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland (history, pics & maps)
Early records identify the castle as ‘Bebbanburgh’, the seat of the kings of Bernicia, besieged twice by the Mercian King Penda. Even 1500 years ago the castle remained impregnable against… Read More »Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland (history, pics & maps)
Floors Castle in Scotland
Situated in Kelso, Borders, Scotland, the home of Duke of Roxburghe see details on G+: https://plus.google.com/111344947574217661132/photos?hl=ro Despite its name it is a country house, rather than a fortress. It was… Read More »Floors Castle in Scotland
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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Chirk Castle (pics)
Photo gallery here Clwyd, Wales, was founded about 1295 as a stronghold for Edward I’s army captain Roger Mortimer, thus becoming one of the great fortresses of Edward’s reign; it… Read More »Chirk Castle (pics)
Cawdor Castle, Scotland
Highlands, Scotland, a late 14th century private fortress and a real fairy-tale castle was built around a small living holly tree by the Thanes of Cawdor and is still the… Read More »Cawdor Castle, Scotland
The Berkeley Castle
Gloucestershire, after 850 years still remains the home of the Berkeley family who gave name to various places from Berkeley Square in London to Berkeley University in California; a Norman… Read More »The Berkeley Castle
Aberystwyth Castle
In the marvellous sweep of Cardigan Bay stand the ruins of one of Edward I’s late 13th century castles. Of the seven major English strongholds he established in Wales, Aberystwyth has fared least favourably in the survival stakes. Now little more than a few fragmented chunks of masonry displayed in a well-kept public park, the castle has lost its imposing hold on the town.
At one time guarded by one of the largest Iron Age forts in West Wales, Aberystwyth has been a place of strategic importance throughout history. The first Norman castle, built on a site further south, was begun by Gilbert de Clare but this has long since disappeared, having been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times during 200 years of political and family feuding. When Edward I begun his castle in 1277, it was a magnificent lozenge-plan concentric building of two stone curtain enclosures, flanked by sturdy round towers. Each curtain had a twin-towered gatehouse, the smaller outer gate leading to a barbican, and the inner gatehouse a substantial fortress with domestic accommodation. Excavations have revealed that a great hall stretched from this gatehouse to the south tower of the inner curtain, some 60ft long (18.3m) and 42ft wide (12.8m).