Warriors and Castles: Warkworth Castle, Shakespeare's Harry Hotspur and the mighty Percy family in the Wars of the Roses.

/ Warkworth Castle/

Life in medieval times in the north-east of England was one full of danger with a constant threat of war. Viking raids, as well as raids from Scotland, were a regular problem and from time to time kings of England came to this area to consolidate their power. Warkworth was owned by the powerful Percy family for over 600 years who preferred it to the much larger Alnwick castle. The Percy’s were renowned for taking some poor decisions in dynastic wars and losing their lives as well as their properties and titles. One Percy known as “Harry Hotspur” became a popular knight and has been remembered over the years for featuring in Shakespeare’s Henry IV part one.

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Okehampton Castle; a romantic medieval ruin set in the beautiful Devon countryside with some fascinating former owners with stories to tell.

/ Okehampton Castle/

Okehampton Castle s a romantic medieval ruin set in the beautiful Devon countryside with some fascinating former owners with stories to tell. Exploring the castle is an engaging experience. Built, soon after the Battle of Hastings and as part of the Norman Conquest, the castle had a vital role to play in consolidating William the Conqueror’s control of the rebellious South-West of England. Built on a natural spur of high land above the valley of the River Okement, its location was carefully chosen to dominate the area and be very difficult to successfully attack. Having seen little action in its early years, it became a hunting lodge for its owners to carry out their favourite pastime and entertain as well as impress, its illustrious guests. It was eventually owned by the Courtenay family who became involved in national politics and suffered some great setbacks with Thomas Courtenay, in 1461 and Henry Courtenay, in 1538, paying the ultimate price of beheading.

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Launceston Castle, an unusual castle once owned by some fascinating people.

/ Launceston Castle/

Launceston Castle, a “must visit” for all castle fans. Originally a “motte and bailey” type of castle, it is almost unique in design. The shell keep sits on top of a motte with a central tower rising up above it. Standing on the staircase and looking over at the motte, it is easy to see why this style of castle was built. It is almost impossible to attack it by riding up the motte because it is far too steep for horses. It is also very steep for foot soldiers to charge up trying to defend themselves and attack with appropriate weapons. It is easy to see how such a design can be defended by shooting arrows at the enemy trying to clamber up the steep motte and making rather indefensible targets. Looking from the top of the tower gives an amazing view of the surrounding town and countryside. Such a view would give an early warning of an advancing army. The masonry of the keep, thin pieces of local shale stone is very different from most castles which are usually made of large oblong blocks of limestone or sandstone. Building with this thin stone seems to me to be a lot harder than using big stone that make up the Tower of London or Bodium Castle.

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Castles in North Wales

/ Caernarfon Castle/

Here you will find the best 4 castles in rank order, that you should visit North Wales. A short stay in North Wales can be a castle hunter’s dream. Short car rides from a central location such as Bangor can present you with four of the best preserved medieval castles in the country.North Wales is a very special area for anyone with an interest in medieval history, and the four we’ve mentioned here were described by UNESCO as “the finest examples of late 13th and early 14th century military architecture in Europe.These castles remain in remarkable condition and they give you the opportunity to see the work of one of the greatest castle builders in history: Master James of St George. The castles here are unlike any you will see anywhere else and the Iron Ring of Castles in North Wales are the lasting legacy of Edward I - one of the greatest castle building kings in history.

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Why did people build castles?

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Why did people build castles in England? Did the reasons for building later versions of castles change and when did they begin building castles are all key questions to be answered in this blog.The story of castles in England really begins with William the Conqueror and his victory in the Battle of Hastings in 1066. Before 1066, a couple of Normans living in England and friends of the English King, Edward the Confessor had built castles but on the whole, castles were not part of the English landscape. When William won the battle, he only had about 8 000 men but unfortunately for him, there were 2.5 million Saxons who loathed him and were prepared to take him on despite him defeating Harold Godwinson, the former king of England. This conquest by a foreigner was not to be tolerated. William knew this and so the main reason for building castles was for his protection and control of the English. William was not only a foreigner, he had a terrible reputation. On arrival in England his men destroyed property in Sussex, pillaging, raping and killing as they went. His cruel reputation was created before he arrived however, with stories of “skinning people alive” and putting out men’s eyes! Protective castles were therefore needed to safeguard a man and his Norman followers from rebellious and vengeful Saxons.

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Stokesay Castle; "The finest and best preserved fortified medieval manor house in England",-English Heritage

/ Stokesay Castle/
Stokesay Castle; "The finest and best preserved fortified medieval manor house in England",-English Heritage

English Heritage states on its website, Stokesay Castle is the finest and best preserved manor house in England and they are the experts. English Heritage also states ,” it remains a treasure by-passed by time, one of the best places to visiting England to experience what medieval life was like.” They own a huge amount of properties and so they would not make this claim lightly. There is an air of tranquility when wandering around Stokesay Castle on a summer’s day. Very little has changed over the past 700 years and it is easy to imagine life in the medieval world especially festivities in the amazing great hall.

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Conwy Castle; a stunning castle with a fascinating history.

/ Conwy castle/
Conwy Castle; a stunning castle with a fascinating history.

Conwy is simply, a stunning castle with six massive round towers that dominate the area for miles around. If you are coming by road, your first sight will take your breath away. The Cadw guidebook states, “Conwy is exceptional not only for the grandeur of its high towers and curtain walls but also for its excellent state of preservation. Visitors can ascend one of the towers and then make a complete circuit of the battlements. Built by Edward I and his brilliant assistant, Master James St George, it is one of four castles that make up Edward’s “iron ring” of defence. Conwy, together with Caernarfon, Harlech and Beaumaris are on the World Heritage List, as a historic site of outstanding universal value. If you want to discover medieval castles or wish to inspire a child with medieval history, this is a good one to visit. Even better if, over the course of a few days, you visit all four mentioned above. They are all fairly close to each other. Edward’s aim was to have each one a day’s ride from the next one for mutual aid in case of attack.

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Why did Edward I build castles in North Wales?

/ Caernarfon Castle/
Why did Edward I build castles in North Wales?

Why did Edward I build so many “state of the art” castles in northern Wales? Dr Sam Willis has described Edward I as,” the greatest castle building king this country has ever seen”. He went on to say, "his castles were his Arthurian Camelot, a tool to conquer and then recolonise". Dan Jones has commented, "every Plantagenet king with exception of Richard I has come to Wales and all departed having barely left a footprint. Edward I ended that trend emphatically".

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Portchester Castle, a medieval castle within a Roman fort.

/ Portchester Castle/

Portchester Castle is one of history’s “must see places”. It is the best preserved example of a Roman fort north of the Alps and within its walls , is one of the best preserved examples of a medieval square keep. You get two for the price of one at Portchester! Whereas, in many square keeps, access is only available on the ground floor, at Portchester 3 floors of the keep are open to the public and covid permitting, so is the rooftop with a fine view over the harbour. Originally built to curb the activities of “Frankish Pirates” it then took on a medieval identity with many key events in English history are associated with it such as the battles of Crecy and Agincourt.

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Dover Castle, the mightiest castle in Britain, defending our shores from the Middle Ages to the Cold War!

/ Dover Castle/
Dover Castle, the mightiest castle in Britain, defending our shores from the Middle Ages to the Cold War!

If you only have time to see one castle, then Dover is the one to see. Eighteen hundred years of history is something to boast about. A visit to Dover Castle is a day worth spent and will leave an everlasting impression on you. If you love history, you will love this place. It has it all. It is only 21 miles from France and has long been considered to be the gateway to England. If Dover fell, then the rest of the country would be wide open for conquest. It is a brilliant example of a medieval castle but it also has a complex of underground tunnels that during the second World War, was where the evacuation of Dunkirk was masterminded. You can also go back in time and see amazing sections of the “Great Tower” set out in the style of Henry II’s court.

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For the Castle enthusiast, Rochester must be high on your list.

/ Rochester Castle/
For the Castle enthusiast, Rochester must be high on your list.

Rochester Castle is great for castle lovers. It has a huge keep to explore and plenty of stories to discover. In 1215 King John attacked the rebel held castle using 40 pigs! Why pigs? Well, he mined under the south -east tower projecting from the keep and set the wooden props alight with the aid of the fat from 40 pigs acting as giant exploding sausages to bring a huge section down. The demolished tower was later replaced by a stronger round tower in the south -east corner looking rather odd against the other 3 square towers! Fantastic views can be had from the battlements at the top of the keep once you have trekked up the spiral staircases.

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Tower of London for kids - a great place for adults too. Royal Palace, Royal Prison, Execution Central and Murder Mysteries .

/ Tower of London/

With over 1000 years of history, you’ll find plenty to do in the Tower of London for kids as well as some of the more fascinating stories and murder mysteries English history. The Tower of London is one of England’s iconic buildings and the remnants of just how brutal and bloody the Middle Ages were. Why does it have this reputation?From the barbaric and gruesome William the Conqueror who created it, to kings and queens who were excited there, the Tower of London is a place of gripping and captivating history that the whole family can see close up.

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