Boarstall Tower?is a 14th-century?moated?gatehouse?located in?Boarstall,?Buckinghamshire,?England, and now, with its surrounding gardens According to legend King Edward the Confessor gave some land to one of his men in return for slaying a wild boar that had infested the nearby Bernwood Forest. The man built himself a mansion on this land and called it “Boar-stall” (Old English …
Located in Tottenham, Bruce Castle Park covers eight hectares of parkland and is rich in history dating back to the early 11th century. The park was created from the remains of the ancient Bruce Castle family estate, purchased by the Council in 1892. Bruce Castle Museum, a Grade 1 listed 16th century manor house, now …
Clun Castle sits high on a natural rocky mound in a loop of the river Clun, on the edge of the small, picturesque town of the same name. Founded shortly after the Norman Conquest to demonstrate the authority of the English monarchy over this part of the border region, the castle and the nearby settlement …
Carreg Cennen Castle had a long and eventful history, having changed ownership numerous times. Legendary references place the original fortress in the Dark Ages, held by Urien Rheged, Lord of Iskennen, and his son Owain, knights during the reign of King Arthur. Stories claim that there is a warrior (perhaps one of the knights, or …
Llywelyn ap Gruffudd didn?t build Caerphilly Castle. In fact he twice tried to knock it down before it was finished. But he was certainly its inspiration. The rise of the powerful Prince of Wales persuaded Marcher lord Gilbert de Clare that he needed a fortress in double-quick time. And it had better be truly formidable. …
Donnington Castle overlooks the Lambourn Valley in an important strategic position commanding the crossing of major north?south and east?west routes. The manor of Donnington was held by the Abberbury family from 1287, and in 1386 Sir Richard Abberbury was granted a licence ?to crenellate and fortify a castle at Donyngton, Berks? by Richard II. Sir …
Welsh construction Llywelyn ap Gruffudd, Prince of Gwynedd’s main land holdings lay in the Gwynedd. In order to assert his claim to be the most important of the Welsh princes he felt the need to exercise his authority in the strategic area which is the Severn Valley, giving as it does access to the heartlands …
Built by Henry VIII at a time when England seemed vulnerable to invasion, Deal Castle has watched over the Kentish coast for nearly 500 years. Delve into the history of this remarkable Tudor fort, from its intriguing shape intended to repel foreign ships to the time it came under siege from forces closer to home. …
The Castle has changed hands numerous times in its long, interesting life since (possibly) Saxon times, and many families have made their own particular mark. Now there are three generations of the family of Henry Garratt-Adams, who purchased the castle in 1954 when it was under threat of demolition after WWII.? ? Previous residents of …
Hay Castle is very much under threat. The castle and manor are in desperate need of conservation to prevent further deterioration. The Norman keep is unstable and unsafe for entry. The famed archway is impassable. The east wing of the Jacobean manor remains roofless and derelict, and its decorated stone walls are collapsing. Hay Castle …
Immediately after landing in England in 1066, William of Normandy ordered three fortifications to be built, Pevensey Castle in September 1066, Hastings (before the Battle of Hastings) and Dover. Hastings Castle was originally built as a motte-and-bailey castle near the sea. Later that year, the famous Battle of Hastings took place near the Hastings castle, …
Grosmont Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Grosmont, Monmouthshire, Wales. The fortification was established by the Normans in the wake of the invasion of England in 1066, to protect the route from Wales to Hereford. Possibly commissioned by William fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, it was originally an earthwork design with …
The first castle on this site dates from soon after the Norman invasion and was built to control newly conquered Welsh territory and defend the English borderlands from Welsh raiders. A motte or man-made mound was created within an existing earth rampart and topped with a timber tower. In the 12th century this wooden castle …
Climb to the top of this 1000 year old Norman Castle for stunning panoramic views across Sussex. The adjoining Barbican House is home to the Museum of Sussex Archaeology and houses local collections from the Stone Age to medieval times. A mini-cinema tells the story of Lewes from prehistoric to Victorian times. Please see our …
Lambeth Palace has been ? for nearly 800 years ? the London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury, whose original residence was in Canterbury, Kent.[2] Originally called the Manor of Lambeth or Lambeth House, the site was acquired by the archbishopric around 1200 AD and has the largest collection of records of the Church in …
This picturesque fortified mansion was built for Lord Hastings, who was?dramatically seized and executed?by Richard III in 1483. Hastings? descendants still believe they have a direct line to the throne of England. Explore the atmospheric moated remains, the fine gatehouse, and complete corner tower of this brick-built mansion, which have been extensively conserved by English …
The impressive ruins of Moreton Corbet Castle are the product of over five hundred years of building. The original fortified house of about 1100, probably built of timber, was replaced in stone about 1200, and the Corbet family ambitiously remodelled the building in the 16th century. By the 18th century, however, the castle had been …
Maxstoke Castle is a privately owned moated castle dating from medieval times situated to the north of Maxstoke, Warwickshire, England. It was built by Sir William de Clinton, 1st Earl of Huntingdon, in 1345 to a rectangular plan, with octagonal towers at each angle, a gatehouse on the east, and a residential range on the …
A stark symbol of power, Chirk Castle was completed in 1310 during the reign of the conquering Edward I to subdue the last princes of Wales. Built on an outcrop above the meeting point of the rivers Dee and Ceiriog, the imposing silhouette of the castle was a brooding statement of English intent in these …
Skenfrith Castle (Welsh: Castell Ynysgynwraidd) is a ruined castle in the village of Skenfrith in Monmouthshire, Wales. The fortification was established by the Normans in the wake of the invasion of England in 1066, to protect the route from Wales to Hereford. Possibly commissioned by William fitz Osbern, the Earl of Hereford, the castle comprised …
Built in the 12th century for Henry II, the polygonal keep of Orford Castle is a landmark in the Suffolk landscape. Its design makes it one of England’s more unusual castles, matched by its history. This site has seen drama of all kinds, from civil war to betrayal and from local legend to local lunches. …
Built largely between 1531 and 1536 by Henry VIII, much of the original red-brick building erected by Henry VIII still survives today, including the Chapel Royal, the gatehouse, some turrets and two surviving Tudor rooms in the State apartments. It was in St. James’s Palace in 1558 that Mary Tudor signed the treaty surrendering Calais. …
The early historian of Staffordshire Robert Plot cited the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle (104) for evidence that ?thelfl?d, the Saxon warrior-princess and ruler of the Mercians, built a castle at Stafford in the year 913, along with an adjacent burg (meaning a fortified town). However, the exact site of this first castle, probably made of wood, is …
A few walls are all that remain of the palace of the powerful Bishops of Winchester, one of the largest and most important buildings in medieval London. THE GREAT HALL Founded in the 12th century by Bishop Henry of Blois, brother of King Stephen, Winchester Palace was built to house the bishops in comfort when …
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