Warwick Castle was founded in 1068 under William the Conqueror. It is located in England, in the county of Warwickshire (an area of central England). Since its construction and until the XVII century the medieval castle was used for its direct purpose – for defensive purposes. In the early seventeenth century, its new owner, English poet and playwright Fulke Greville, turned the castle into a country residence. The castle belonged to Greville’s descendants until 1978.

In 1978, The Tussauds Group bought the castle from the Greville family and opened it to tourists. Now the castle is protected by the state as a major architectural monument – in terms of importance it is equated with Buckingham Palace.

The castle is situated in a picturesque place – on the steep bank of the river Avon. Previously, the bank was flatter, but over the centuries, the river has eroded away the sandstone. Such a location contributed to the successful defense – during the history of the castle took more than a few sieges.

What to see

On the territory of the castle, inside and outside, there are many places of interest. The heart of the castle is recognized as the Great Hall. A spacious hall with knightly paraphernalia and medieval gloom sends visitors back to the founding of the castle. But in fact, it was rebuilt in the XVII century, and in 1871 changed its appearance once again because of the fire. It is interesting not only the knightly paraphernalia, but also a huge cauldron in which for 500 years, cooking for the soldiers.

The most mystical and attractive place is the dungeon. A visit to Warwick Castle’s dungeon is a real attraction, accompanied by frightening sounds and stories of ghosts and witches. The time of the interactive tour is 50 minutes.

Manor Gardens covers an area of 64 acres. The first landscaping work was done in the 17th century. Within 8 years the appearance of the gardens was completely changed, wiggling paths to the castle were added. The gardens here are hilly, and a small island on the Avon River is abundant with birds. In 1890 a small menagerie was even set up here, with a baby elephant and an Emu ostrich among its pets.

The restored Victorian mill is also one of the most photogenic sights. It is located south of the castle, on the banks of the Avon River. In addition to its primary function, the mill was also a mini-electric powerhouse, providing power to the Earl’s rooms.

A few years ago, a huge catapult was added to the castle grounds. It was made of 300 oaks. Weight of the catapult is 22 tons. Now it is the most powerful in the world. To start the whole mechanism would require the efforts of no less than 8 people.

Every day at Warwick Castle there are several shows introducing the life and traditions of the former residents. In winter, you can see a show of birds of prey (twice a day) – owls, eagles, vultures and other birds are released from the castle ramparts.

On certain days there are demonstrative jousting tournaments (not daily) and archery competitions. Sometimes visitors are shown a giant catapult in action or the Sword in the Stone show – based on the famous legend of King Arthur.

Warwick Castle (Warwick) was founded on the site of the old Anglo-Saxon fortifications. According to one version, the first fortress here was founded by Alfred the Great’s daughter to protect the local people and herself from Viking attacks.

The castle was founded by William the Conqueror to commemorate the conquest of the Anglo-Saxons by the Normans. For many centuries the castle became a symbol of military might. Originally the fortress was a wall of palisades and a castle on a hill. In 1119 the first church – the Church of All Saints – appeared within the castle walls. A large stone castle was built in 1154-1189.

In the 1330s, the defense of the castle from the northeast side was improved. It is this period that dates back to the construction of the Gaius and Caesar towers. The other famous towers, Gun Bear and Clarence, were erected a century later, in the 1480s. During this period, the castle belonged to the king and was costly to the treasury. Over time it fell into disrepair. In the records of the 1590s there are mentions of the miserable state of the castle – the furnishings were literally plundered.

In 1604 the castle was given to count Fulk Greville who transformed the medieval fortress into a manor. The count allocated more than 3 million pounds (translated into modern money) for the repair of the castle and the surrounding territory.

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Leeds Castle is just an hour’s drive from London, in the county of Kent. The stone palace with more than a thousand years of history welcomes tourists from all over the world, and in addition to standard excursions offers travelers a whole range of entertainment: from golf to falconry. But first about Leeds Castle itself. It was built in the 11th century by a Norman baron. 150 years later the palace (although the architecture is more like a stone fortress) came into the possession of the rulers of England. For many centuries Leeds Castle remained a royal residence, but in the early 20th century it passed, so to speak, into private hands.
A favorite activity for tourists at Leeds Castle is wandering around the giant labyrinth and riding segways.

The monument of architecture of national importance was bought by wealthy English lady Baillie and, admittedly, greatly improved it. Look at the interior of the castle, getting into which, involuntarily, you feel like a resident of Leeds. Comfortable antique furniture, fresh flowers, even a blazing fireplace – everything in the palace disposes to be carried away for a while about nine centuries ago, and stay here much longer than allotted for the tour. After a tour of Leeds Castle, you can go golfing. The hundreds of acres of green surrounding the palace are just perfect for this game. But don’t forget that it’s not free – from 15 GBP during the week and from 20 GBP at the weekend.

Another no less fun activity that you can devote an hour to is wandering around a giant “living” maze. More on that point? The fact is that yew trees have been growing on the castle grounds for many years. Today there are over two thousand of them. In fact, these yews make up the labyrinth. Keep in mind that once you get there, you cannot stop halfway. The thick trees, though carefully trimmed by gardeners, are taller than people.
When you’re at Leeds Castle don’t miss the Falconry with its trained birds – eagles, owls, hawks and falcons.

The shows are daily at 2 p.m. (April to September) and 1:30 p.m. (October to March). But be aware that if the weather is “unlucky,” the performances will be canceled. For children, Leeds Castle has a Medieval village where young explorers can climb, jump and frolic at will. However, children over the age of five are allowed here.

Not only can you explore the beauty of the park and gardens surrounding Leeds Castle on your own, you can also rent Segways. These modern two-wheeled “scooters” tourists are issued for half an hour and a whole hour. This time is just enough to get used to the new mode of transport and see the local area. One Segway rental costs from 20 GBP.

Leeds Castle opening times are 10:30am-6pm (April-September) and 10:30am-5pm (October-March). The Castle is closed July 12 (after 2pm), November 8 and 9, and December 25.
Admission is 28 GBP for adults, 27 GBP for students and senior citizens and 19.50 GBP for children (4 to 15 years). For children under four years old free of charge.

If you want you can stay in Leeds Castle for a few days. There are spacious, modern cottages near the palace with all the comforts of home.

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Windsor Castle is still the current residence of the British Royal Family and is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest inhabited castle in the world. The building has come a long way from a wooden military building to one of the most famous and beautiful palaces. At different times Windsor Castle has become an embodiment of architectural fantasies of many monarchs with quite different tastes. It has changed practically throughout its history, being influenced by a variety of styles from medieval romanticism to neo-Gothic. So what is this architectural ensemble today, and what is the history of its creation?

Windsor Castle was founded in 1070 by William I on a hill in the Thames River valley, 30 kilometers from London. It was originally a wooden fortress surrounded by a stone wall. A little later an additional wall of wood was built to the east of the hill (the Upper Yard is now in its place), and by the end of the century a similar wall was built near the western slope of the hill, where the Lower Yard is now. Later all these buildings were repeatedly rebuilt, but the layout itself has been preserved to this day – two four-coal buildings (courtyards), and in the middle a round tower on a hill.

In spite of the fact that already in the first half of XII century Windsor Castle was entirely made of stone, until the reign of Edward III who ascended the throne in 1327, the building was not a true residence of the royal family. From 1350 to 1377, Edward III spent an unprecedented sum of £51,000 on renovations for those times. He decided to make Windsor Castle the new Camelot. Here he also founded a new order of chivalry – the Order of the Garter. It was under Edward III that St George’s Chapel with its lancet windows and colored stained glass windows was built in the lower courtyard of the castle and is one of the major buildings of English Gothic. The Chapel is adorned with a menagerie of 76 heraldic statues, each of which has important symbolic meaning: the bull embodies courage, the griffin symbolizes vigilance, the unicorn symbolizes strength, the swan symbolizes grace and perfection. Windsor Castle itself was also reconstructed during this period under the influence of the Gothic style, and the roofs and windows of most of the buildings were altered accordingly.

The next important phase of Windsor Castle’s transformation took place from 1660 to 1683, during the reign of Charles II. In his desire to restore the grandeur of the monarchy, Charles II ordered the Baroque reconstruction of Windsor Castle and hired the architect Hugh May to do it. As a result, the castle took on the features of the richest royal palace.

Windsor Castle got its modern look in the XIX century, during the reign of George IV. His ambitious plan was to convert Windsor Castle from a building with a mixture of styles into a harmonious Gothic ensemble. To accomplish this, the plain walls were decorated with battlements, loopholes, lancet arches, and various statues. The round tower at the center of the architectural composition was raised by 9 meters to make it look even more majestic. In this way George IV lived out his romantic dream of what a medieval castle should look like. But he took a very different approach to the interiors, each room having a specific style of Gothic, neoclassical, Rococo, and so on.

Finally, the last major restoration of Windsor Castle was not a purely conceptual effort, but rather a necessity after a major fire in 1992. It was George IV’s design that was taken as the basis for the restoration.

Today Windsor Castle is not a museum, it is still one of the residences of the royal family. Elizabeth II lives here for about a month in spring and a week in June. The rest of the time the castle is open to tourists. Every year Windsor Castle, which occupies about 5 hectares, is visited by more than a million tourists. And this is not surprising, because the castle is an architectural symbol of the greatness of the British monarchy and the firmness of its traditions. The surprising thing is that with such a symbolic value, Windsor Castle has been transformed more often than any other building in the Foggy Albion, and it has been transformed under the influence of the most progressive architectural trends.

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