History Of Warwick Castle

Ghosts of warwick

England is a land of amazing, historic castles, and Warwick Castle in England’s Midlands is even more amazing than usual. It is a completely over-the-top picture postcard perfect castle, straight out of the story books. Warwick Castle can trace its history back to the Norman Conquest in the 11th century, and possibly even back to the Saxons before that. From 1088 the castle belonged to the Earl of Warwick, and has been home to successive generations of this powerful family. A later Lord of the Castle was the famous “Warwick the Kingmaker.”

The fortunes of the castle waxed and waned over the centuries, and in 1604, little more than a ruin, it was converted into a country house. But history continued to swirl round and about the castle. Conspirators in the ill-fated Guy Fawkes Gunpowder Plot stole horses from the castle stables to escape. Over the centuries the castle underwent many structural changes, with the original 11th century wooden fort being rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. But it was the extensive remodeling in the 14th century, which gave us the castle we see today. It looks every bit the way a proper castle should look, straight out of our childhood imagination. There are turrets and ramparts and towers and drawbridges and murder holes and portcullises and dungeons. In other words, Warwick Castle is picture perfect. In 1978, the Castle was taken over by Tussauds who now run it as a commercial, tourist attraction. And how. From the world’s largest working siege engine, an 18-metre high trebuchet, to the deliciously gruesome torture museum, to battle re-enactments to displays of falconry, history comes alive before your eyes at Warwick Castle.

Getting there

Warwick lies at the heart of Britain’s motorway network, with easy access from London and Birmingham.

By rail: Warwick Train Station is approximately one mile from the Castle. A direct service into London Marylebone (1 hour 45 minutes) or Birmingham Snow Hill is available. It is, it must be said, a wee bit touristy, but if you want to learn about history in a fun way, Warwick should absolutely not be missed. Actors in period costume wander the grounds, there are displays of archery, jousting and falconry, and if you have the stomach for it, you can see the horrors of the medieval torture chambers — not for the faint-hearted. Not surprisingly children love it. Even my teenagers loved it, posing obligingly in the stocks for photographs. The interior of the castle is beautiful and the wax figures in period costume so startlingly realistic that you expect them to move at any moment. We were told about the many ghosts that haunt Warwick, but to the childrens’ disappointment — and my secret relief — the castle kept those particular secrets hidden.

The five most interesting facts about Warwick Castle that most ...

Warwick Castle’s history traces right back to the time of the Roman invasion of Britain.  Between 79 AD and the present day, Warwick Castle has gone through an extensive array of changes.  Treachery and murder are a profound part of its history.  This is what makes it such an enthralling place to visit.

Here are five things you may not know about this antiquarian castle:

1.    You must have heard of the legendary Lady Jane Grey.

2.    The tale of Lady Jane seems to have transcended into modern culture, giving rise to a flood of novels, plays, and films.

3.    In the 14th century and at a time of great political upheaval, Guy de Beauchamp took Piers Gaveston to Warwick Castle, where he was sentenced to death.

4.    Sir Fulke Greville, an Elizabethan statesman, was murdered in September 1628.

5.    In the 1890s the Countess of Warwick collected exotic animals that included, believe it or not, Chinese geese, an ant bear, an emu and Japanese deer!

History of Warwick castle. ...

History of Warwick Castle ...

Warwick castle and its earls, from Saxon times to the present day

Warwick Castle and Its Earls Part One

An historical and descriptive guide to Warwick castle [&c.].