ENGLAND CASTLE

WARW ICK CASTLE

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a cliff overlooking a bend in the River Avon. Warwick Castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when Sir Fulke Greville converted it to a country house. It was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978.From 1088, the castle traditionally belonged to the Earl of Warwick, and it served as a symbol of his power. The castle was taken in 1153 by Henry of Anjou, later Henry II. It has been used to hold prisoners, including some from the Battle of Poitiers in the 14th century. Under the ownership of Richard Neville – also known as “Warwick the Kingmaker” – Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king, Edward IV. Warwick Castle has been compared with Windsor Castle in terms of scale, cost, and status.Since its construction in the 11th century, the castle has undergone structural changes with additions of towers and redesigned residential buildings. Originally a wooden motte-and-bailey, it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. During the Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th century military architecture.In the 17th century the grounds were turned into a garden. Warwick Castle was purchased by The Tussauds Group in 1978 and opened as a tourist attraction. It is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building.

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TOWER OF LONDON

Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, England, on the north bank of the River Thames. It is located within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and is separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill.The Tower of London is often identified with the White Tower, the original stark square fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1078. However, the tower as a whole is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.The tower’s primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase “sent to the Tower” (meaning “imprisoned”). It has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

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BODIAM CASTLE

Bodiam Castle is a quadrangular castle located near Robertsbridge in East Sussex, England. It is said to be a perfect example of a late medieval moated castle. While not large enough to garrison many soldiers, the castle was ideally suited for defense against a militant rural populace after the English Peasants’ Revolt and for the entertainment of foreign merchants or dignitaries.It was built in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge, a former knight of Edward III, supposedly at the request of Richard II in order to defend the surrounding area from French invasion. By 1434 Sir Edward Dalyngrigge’s nephew Richard was living in the castle.[1] Recent research suggests that the castle was built more for show than as an effective defence. There is evidence supporting that research, as the walls of Bodiam Castle are only a couple of feet thick.

WINDSOR CASTLE

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Windsor Castle, in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, is the largest inhabited castle in the world and, dating back to the time of William the Conqueror, is the oldest in continuous occupation. The castle’s floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet (44,965 square metres).Together with Buckingham Palace in London and Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, it is one of the principal official residences of the British monarch. Queen Elizabeth II spends many weekends of the year at the castle, using it for both state and private entertaining. Her other two residences, Sandringham House and Balmoral Castle, are the Royal Family’s private homes.Most of the Kings and Queens of England, later Kings and Queens of Great Britain, and later still kings and queens of the Commonwealth realms, have had a direct influence on the construction and evolution of the castle, which has been their garrison fortress, home, official palace, and sometimes their prison. The castle’s history and that of the British monarchy are inextricably linked. Chronologically the history of the castle can be traced through the reigns of the monarchs who have occupied it. When the country has been at peace, the castle has been expanded by the additions of large and grand apartments; when the country has been at war, the castle has been more heavily fortified. This pattern has continued to the present day.

WINDSOR CASTLE

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ST. MICHAEL’S MOUNT

T. MICHAEL’S MOUNT

St Michael’s Mount is a tidal island located 366 m (400 yd) off the Mount’s Bay coast of Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is united with Marazion by a man-made causeway, passable only at mid to low tide, made of granite setts. The island exhibits a combination of slate and granite.Its Cornish language name — literally, “the grey rock in the wood” — may represent a folk memory of a time before Mount’s Bay was flooded. Certainly, the Cornish name would be an accurate description of the Mount set in woodland. Remains of trees have been seen at low tides following storms on the beach at Perranuthnoe. The Cornish legend of Lyonesse, an ancient kingdom said to have extended from Penwith toward the Isles of Scilly, also talks of land being inundated by the sea.Historically, St Michael’s Mount was a Cornish counterpart of Mont Saint Michel in Normandy, France.St Michael’s Mount is known colloquially by locals as simply the Mount.The chapel is extra-diocesan, and the castle is the official residence of Lord St Levan. Many relics, chiefly armour and antique furniture, are preserved in the castle. The chapel of St Michael, a fifteenth century building, has an embattled tower, in one angle of which is a small turret, which served for the guidance of ships. Chapel Rock, on the beach, marks the site of a shrine dedicated to the Virgin Mary, where pilgrims paused to worship before ascending the Mount. A few houses are built on the hillside facing Marazion, and a spring supplies them with water.

STOKESAY CASTLE

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Stokesay Castle, located at Stokesay, a mile south of the town of Craven Arms, in South Shropshire, is the oldest fortified manor house in England, dating to the 12th century. It is currently in the hands of English Heritage. It is a Grade I listed building.The origins of this Stoke, or “dairy farm”, go back to the Conquest, when the manor was part of the vast holdings in the West of England granted to the family of Lacy. By 1115, it had been regranted to Theodoric de Say, of Sai in Normandy, and Stoke Lacy became Stokesay, but the main construction was undertaken by Laurence of Ludlow, based in Shrewsbury, the richest local wool merchant of his generation, who acquired Stokesay in 1281. STOKESAY CASTLE

SKIPTON CASTLE

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Skipton Castle is situated within the town of Skipton, North Yorkshire, England. The castle has been preserved for over 900 years, built in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron.The castle has stood for 900 years, first built as a Motte and Bailey castle in 1090 by Robert de Romille, a Norman baron. The castle was soon replaced with a stone keep as the old Motte and Bailey constructed was not enough to withstand the attacks from the Scots to the north.In 1310, Edward II granted the property of the castle to Robert Clifford who was appointed Lord Clifford of Skipton and Guardian of Craven. Robert Clifford ordered many improvements to the fortifications of the castle but died in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 when the improvements were barely complete.During the English Civil War it was the only remaining Royalist stronghold in the north of England until December 1645. After a 3 year siege, surrender was negotiated in 1645 between Oliver Cromwell and the Royalists. Oliver Cromwell ordered the removal of the castle roofs.Skipton remained the Cliffords’ principal seat until 1676. Lady Anne Clifford (1590-1676) was the last Clifford to own Skipton castle. After the 3 year siege, she ordered repairs and as a commemoration she planted a yew tree in the central courtyard to mark the Castle’s repair from the English Civil War.Today it stands as one of the most preserved medieval castles in England and is both a tourist attraction and a private residence.

CARLISLE CASTLE

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Carlisle Castle is situated in Carlisle, Cumbria, England. The castle is over 900 years old and has been the scene of many historical episodes in British history. Given the proximity of Carlisle to the border between England and Scotland, it has been the centre of many wars and invasions. Today the castle is managed by English Heritage and is open to the public. The castle until recently was the administrative headquarters of the former King’s Own Royal Border Regiment now county headquarters to the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment and a museum to the regiment is within the castle walls.

HOWARD CASTLE

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Castle Howard is a stately home in North Yorkshire, England, 15 miles (24 km) north of York. One of the grandest private residences in Britain, most of it was built between 1699 and 1712 for the 3rd Earl of Carlisle, to a design by Sir John Vanbrugh. It is not a true castle: The word is often used for English country houses constructed after the castle-building era (c.1500) and not intended for a military function.Castle Howard has been the home of part of the Howard family for more than 300 years. It is familiar to television and movie audiences as the fictional “Brideshead”, both in Granada Television’s 1981 adaptation of Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited and a two-hour 2008 remake for theatres. Today, it is part of the Treasure Houses of England heritage group.

LINCOLN CASTLE

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Lincoln Castle is a major castle constructed in Lincoln, England during the late 11th century by William the Conqueror on the site of a pre-existing Roman fortress. It remained in use as a prison and law court into modern times, and is one of the better preserved castles in England; the Crown Courts continue to this day. It is open to the public as a museum.Lincoln Castle remains one of the most impressive Norman castles in the United Kingdom. It is still possible to walk around the immense 12th century walls with its ramparts providing a magnificent view of the Castle complex, together with panoramic views of the Cathedral, the City of Lincoln and the surrounding countryside.Another attraction is the opportunity to see one of the four surviving originals of the Magna Carta, sealed by King John after his meeting with the Barons at Runnymede in 1215, a document which is now housed within Lincoln Castle. There is also an accompanying exhibition, explaining the origin of the Magna Carta and its far reaching effects. Parts of the prison are also open as a museum, including the 19th century chapel, which is the only original chapel designed for the ‘Separate System’ (every seat is enclosed) left in the world today. The women’s wing of the prison opened to visitors in 2005.

LEEDS CASTLE

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Leeds Castle, four miles south east of Maidstone, Kent, England, dates back to 1119, though a manor house stood on the same site from the ninth century. The castle and grounds lie to the east of the village of Leeds, Kent, which should not be confused with the city of Leeds in West Yorkshire.

ARUNDLE CASTLE

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Arundel Castle in West Sussex, England is a restored medieval castle. The castle dates from the reign of Edward the Confessor (r. 1042-1066) and was completed by Roger de Montgomery, who became the first to hold the earldom of Arundel by the graces of William the Conqueror. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and 19th centuries.From the 11th century onward, the castle has served as a hereditary stately home to several families (with a few and brief reversions to the Crown) and is currently the principal seat of the Duke of Norfolk and his family. It is a Grade I listed building.

ALNWICK CASTLE

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Alnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in Alnwick, Northumberland, England and the residence of the Duke of Northumberland, built immediately following the Norman conquest, and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a Grade I listed building.Since the Second World War, parts of the castle have been used by various educational establishments: Firstly, by the Newcastle Church High School for Girls then, from 1945 to 1975, as a teacher training college and, since 1981, by St. Cloud State University as a branch campus forming part of their International Study Programme.The castle is used as a stand in for the exterior and interior of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter (film)|Harry Potter films (though the wide angle images are computer generated). It has previously been a location used in Becket, Blackadder; Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves and many others listed in the Location section of the Alnwick Castle website.

Alnwick casstle was built by the Norman baron, Yvo de Vescy in the 11th century, as a timber andmotte castle and was reconstructed of stone during the early part of the 12th century, but it gained most of its current design under the direction of the Percy family who acquired the castle in 1309. The Percy's were one of the most powerful families in England and have been closely linked with the castle ever since.

Henry Percy and his son set about turning Alnwick into a bastion of considerable strength. Together they strengthened the curtain walls, added gatehouses to both the inner and outer baileys, created numerous flanking towers, as well as constructing a barbican for further fortification.

During Alnwick’s long and picturesque history, she has seen her fair share of conflict. In 1172 and again in 1174, Alnwick Castle was besieged by the Scottish king William the Lion, both times successfully defended by William de Vescy. On the second occasion, King William's troops were surprised by English forces, which pounced upon them in the fog and captured the Lion.

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In 1215, the Baron of Alnwick turned against King John and joined the great confederation of barons, as well as joining forces with King Alexander of Scotland in his invasion of Northumberland. Alnwick Castle was then put to torch by John's army. The following year saw another rebellion against the English king, and Eustace de Vescy was killed while besieging Barnard Castle. Alnwick castle continued to be involved in bloody conflict over the ensuing centuries.

The Percy family were never very far away from controversy , Thomas Percy the seventh Earl of Northumberland, was beheaded by Queen Elizabeth in 1572 for his support of her adversary, Mary of Scotland, and the Roman Catholic Church; his brother, the 8th Earl, died in the Tower of London under mysterious circumstances, having also supported the Scottish queen. A cousin of the 9th Earl, had participated in the infamous gunpowder Plot of 1605.

In 1766 Sir Hugh Smithson became the 1st Duke of Northumberland, and was responsible for the castle's restoration, which he began in about 1755 under the guidance of Robert Adam, renowned for his Gothic architecture.

The 2nd Duke of Northumberland served in the American War of Independence and during his tenure at Alnwick, the Constable's tower was used as an armoury for the regiment he raised to repel any invasion by Napoleon. The 3rd Duke was succeeded by his brother, who was a great benefactor of the surrounding country, creating endowments for sailors and building schools and churches, farmhouses and cottages on his estates. He had envisaged great plans for the Castle but they were never completed during his or his successor's lifetime.

It was not until the 6th Duke of Northumberland that the main rooms were furnished and rebuilding, including some destruction of Adam's work was accomplished. The appearance of Alnwick Castle today records much of the history of the family who have owned it and mostly lived there for so many years.

The Dukes of Northumberland continued to maintain the grandeur of Alnwick castle and today, Alnwick Castle is an impressive stately home, with relics of its military origins clearly visible in the basic design, battlements, and massive fortitude of the structure. 

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DOVER CASTLE

Dover Castle is situated at Dover, Kent and has been described as the “Key to England” due to its defensive significance throughout history.The castle, secret tunnels and surrounding land are now owned by English Heritage and the site is a major tourist attraction. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is officially head of the castle, in his conjoint position of Constable of Dover Castle, and the Deputy Constable has his residence in Constable’s Gate.

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HEVER CASTLE

Hever Castle, in Kent, England (in the village of Hever), was the seat of the Boleyn, originally ‘Bullen’ family. It began as a country house, built in the 13th century and converted into a manor in 1462 by Geoffrey Boleyn, who served as Lord Mayor of the City of London. The remains of the timber dwelling can still be seen within the stone walls of the fortification. Some time after 1505, the Boleyn family moved in, and Anne Boleyn (and her siblings, Mary Boleyn and George Boleyn), although probably not born here, did grow up here for a time, before she was sent to the Netherlands and then to the French court for her education from 1513 to 1521. After Anne married King Henry VIII of England secretly in 1533; she and her brother George were executed in 1536 and her father Thomas Boleyn died in 1539, the property came into the possession of Henry VIII. He bestowed it on Anne of Cleves upon the annulment of their marriage (1540), but she probably spent little time there. Hever Castle still has one of Henry’s private locks, taken with him on his various visits to noblemen’s houses and fitted to every door for his security.The building subsequently passed through various owners, including the Waldegrave family in 1557, and the Meade Waldo family from 1749-1903. During this latter period of ownership, the castle fell into a poor state of repair, during which time it was leased to various private tenants, until it was acquired, in 1906 and completely restored by the American millionaire William Waldorf Astor, who used it as a family residence. The estate is now run as a conference centre, but the castle is open to the public and is particularly well known for its mazes. The only original part of Hever Castle is the gatehouse. In the castle there are exhibits from differing historical eras, including instruments of torture and a museum of the Kent Yeomanry.There is a yew maze, planted in 1904, as well as a more recent addition, a water maze, which opened in 1987.

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The garden is large has a wide range of features including an Italianate garden, rose gardens and a lake.It was used for the filming of the The Other Boleyn Girl, along with nearby Knole House in Sevenoaks.

ROCHESTER CASTLE

Rochester Castle stands on the east bank of the River Medway, in Rochester, Kent. It is one of the best-preserved castles of its kind in the UK. There has been a fortification on this site since Roman times (c AD43), though it is the keep of 1127 and the Norman castle which can be seen today. With the invention of gunpowder other types of defence became more appropriate, and the military centre of the Medway Towns moved to Chatham.The castle is now maintained by English Heritage and is open to the public. The wooden flooring in the centre of the keep is gone, but many of the passageways and spiral staircases within the thickness of the walls are still usable. Decorative chevrons ornament the archways and the water well in the cross-wall is clearly visible. Visitors with a head for heights can climb 111 ft (34 m) to the battlements and enjoy a commanding view of the river and surrounding area.

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SCOTLAND CASTLE

BRODICK CASTLE

Brodick Castle has kept up a tradition that has seen a fortification of some description in place since the 5th century. It was originally constructed between 1220 and 1240 by the Stewarts. In 1263, the Stewarts were ousted from the castle by the Macdonalds for their support of the King of Norway but eventually they gained control back.

Robert the Bruce also tried his hand at ousting the Stewarts in 1307 but he also was very unsuccessful. In 1406, the English fleet managed to do what no one else at that time was able to accomplish; they destroyed Brodick castle.

Over the pursuing centuries, Brodick had been rebuilt and demolished many times. In 1470 Lord Hamilton was granted ownership of The Isle of Arran and became the Earl of Arran. In 1503 he started reconstructing Brodick as a tower house. Whilst in 1528, The Sheriff of Butte who was feuding with the Hamiltons, sent his sons to demolish it. In 1544, Brodick was again demolished but this time it was destroyed because of the Hamiltons support of Henry VIII. 

1545 saw the castle once again being rebuilt when the Earl of Arran became Duke of Chatelhauralt. Brodick Castle remained in the hands of the Hamiltons until the Campbells fought for and won control in 1639 but they lost it back to the Hamiltons in 1644. During 1646 the Hamiltons lost Brodick Castle yet once again, this time to the Campbells. The Hamiltons re-took Brodick in 1651.

During the civil war, Cromwell’s forces occupied the castle and altered it yet again by adding a battery so as to cover the approaches of hostile forces. A kitchen and new entrances were added in 1844.

The older part of the castle is said to be haunted by a "Grey Lady" who starved to death in the dungeons of the castle because she had the plague. A man has been reportedly seen sitting in the library and a White Deer is reputedly seen in the grounds of the castle whenever a chief of the Hamiltons is close to death.

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CAWDOR CASTLE

Cawdor castle  began life as a family home in the later part of the 14th century. It is supposedly situated on a spot picked by a donkey, which was foretold in a dream. Over the years, Cawdor Castle has evolved into an impressive building.

The 15th century saw it being fortified after being granted a licence by James II of Scotland. A tower and turrets as well as renellations were added with the whole structure being surrounded by curtain walls.

1716 saw the death of the then owner and Lord, Sir Hugh and Cawdor Castle was left to fall into ruin by successive successors for the next 100 years. Whilst they preferred to inhabit their other estates in London and Wales, the Estate at Cawdor was managed by factors that did the bear minimal to maintain the house.

A fire in the early part of the 1800’s resulted in the loss of many family heirlooms (paintings) and prompted the 1st Earl of Cawdor to arrange on site accommodation for his factor.

During the following years a new house had been built as an annex to the castle with further renovations and extensions being carried out in the Victorian era. This allowed for more natural daylight and generally brightened the place up with the addition of luxurious furnishings.

During the 15th century the Castle became part of the Campbell Empire. The then heiress Muriel Calder was kidnapped at the age of 12 to be married to the earl of Argyll’s son, Sir John Campbell. To this day, a ghost wearing a blue velvet dress has been reportedly seen wondering the castle. People claim this to be the ghost of Muriel but no one is quite sure. 

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DUNVEGAN CASTLE

Dunvegan Castle on the Isle of Skye, was built upon land that was inherited by Leod, a son of the King of the Isle of Man in 1237, and has remained the home of the Macleods (meaning – son of Leod) ever since.

Before his death in 1280, Leod constructed a stone fortification with the only entrance until the 18th century being via a sea gate. This was to enable supplies to enter the castle if it came under siege from the landward side.

Subsequent alterations to Dunvegan castle were a keep built between 1340 and 1360 by Malcolm, the 3rd Chief. A Fairy tower was built around 1500 with minor improvements until 1700.

The castle saw several minor conflicts during its history. The first being in the early part of the 15th century when Dunvegan was besieged by the Macdonalds of Sleat and again in 1557 when it was captured by Iain Dubh, a relative who had aspirations of being the legitimate chief. 

Dunvegans most famous treasure is the fairy flag, a tattered piece of silk which research has shown to be from around AD400 to AD700.

Some believe it to be the famous banner of Landoda, which was brought back from Palestine by Harald Haardraade an ancestor of Leod. It has been raised in times of conflict and has been attributed to the victories at Glendale and Trumpan.

Whatever its origin, it is held in high esteem by the clan and is ready to be called upon by the Macleods in the future when the time arises. 

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EILEAN DONAN CASTLE

Eilean donan castle was built in 1220 for Alexander II on a small isle at the meeting point of three sea lochs as a defence against the Vikings. In 1263 Alexander III gave the castle to Colin Fitzgerald, son of the Earl of Desmond and Kildare (later to become the MacKenzies) as a reward for his services at the Battle of Largs and was Clan MacKenzie's most important stronghold from the 13th Century until it was destroyed in 1719. In 1511, the MacRaes, as protectors of the MacKenzies, became the hereditary Constables of the Castle.

When Robert the Bruce was being hunted by the English, he was given refuge in Eilean Donan by John MacKenzie, Second of Kintail in the early part of the 14th century. When Robert became King, he sent his nephew Randolph, Earl of Moray and Warden of Scotland to Kintail. Randolph's crown officer then beheaded fifty local scoundrels and exhibited their heads around the battlements of the Castle as a warning to others.

In 1719, the castle was garrisoned by Spanish troops fighting for the Jacobite cause on behalf of the 5th Earl of Seaforth when three British frigates, Worcester, enterprise and Flambourough sailed into the loch and pounded the castle to rubble with canon-fire. The castle was then ordered to be destroyed using the 343 barrels of gunpowder stored in the garrison's own powder magazine. It remained a ruin for the next two centuries until 1912 when Colonel John MacRae-Gilstrap purchased the site and decided to restore his ancestral home. The next two decades were spent restoring the castle to its former glory, at a cost of £250,000.

Today, Eilean Donan Castle is perhaps one of the most photographed castles in the British Isles and possibly the world. 

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EDINBURGH CASTLE

Edinburgh Castle stands like a silent beacon casting a weary eye over the sprawling metropolis below. During the 11th century, Edinburgh established herself as one of the principle royal residences of Scotland. David I, the youngest son of Queen Margaret who died in 1093, built the earliest surviving part of the castle – St Margaret’s chapel.

During the turbulent centuries that followed, Edinburgh castle was attacked and rebuilt many times. In 1296, Edward I of England attacked and gained control of the castle. During 1314, armed with only 30 men at his command, the Earl of Moray in a daring commando raid attacked and retook the castle back again. The English and Scottish armies continued to take it in turns to occupy the castle during the preceding centuries.

1335 saw the English back in control until 1341 when Sir Douglas ousted the invaders and had the majority of the English garrison decapitated. The castle remained in Scottish hands until 1603.

Edinburgh’s turbulent and sometimes dramatic past included - The infamous “Black Bull’s Dinner” where 16 year old sixth Earl of Douglas and his brother David, were murdered in front of their young King (James II) who was ten at the time. Women accused of witchcraft were burnt at the stake.

Whilst Cromwell’s army were garrisoned at the castle, they destroyed buildings and erected structures with undue care and without regard to their historic significance. The massive vaults under the Great hall housed prisoners of war from France and America, from Spain and Germany as well as Italian and Dutch troops during the 18th and 19th century

Bonnie Prince Charlie had the dubious honour of being the last person to attack and fail at attempting to take the castle. This final affront occurred during the jacobite uprising in 1745.

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Edinburgh Castle has been the seat and birth place of Scottish Kings. It is the home of the one O’clock gun which is fired every day except Sunday at precisely 1pm. Her royal apartments are the finest of any and she houses the ancient honours of Scotland – the crown, the Sceptre and the Sword of State.

On St Andrews day in1996, the Stone of Scone, was returned from is seven hundred year exile in Westminster Abbey in London to Edinburgh Castle to be displayed alongside the ancient honours of Scotland. Every summer the Edinburgh Military tattoo takes place on the esplanade in front of the castle, thus continuing the military connection that started all those centuries ago. 

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TANTALLON CASTLE

Tatallon castle as built around 1350 by William 1st Earl of Douglas, nephew of ‘Good Sir James’, and originally based on a French Chateaux.

Before 1357 William had married Margaret, sister of Thomas, Earl of Mar, and they had a son, James. Later, William took as his mistress his brother-in-laws widow, who had assumed the title of Countess of Angus and Mar. who bore him a son, George.

William died in 1384 and his heir, James, the second Earl, was killed four years later at the Battle of Otterburn. This chain of events prompted the countess of Angus to promote the claim of her son, George, to her share of the Douglas inheritance.

In 1389 she resigned her Earldom of Angus in favour of George, who became the first Douglas Earl of Angus and lord of Tantallon Castle. Thus the Battle of Otterburn resulted in the division into two of the mighty House of Douglas.

The head of the main line now was Archibald, illegitimate son of the Good Sir James’, Known to the English as the Black Douglas’ because of his grim countenance in warfare. His descendants became the Black’ Douglases, while the Douglases of Angus became known as the Red’ Douglases.

In 1491, Archibald, the 5th Earl, entered into a treasonable act with Henry VII of England to deliver James IV into English hands. When this became known, Archibald was ordered to confine himself to his castle at Tantallon, where he prepared for a lengthy siege. 

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By October James IV was at Tantallon. An artillery train was brought from Edinburgh Castle, other military equipment from Leith, and seamen were dispatched from Largo, on the Fife coast, to bring the Kings Ship, The Flower, to blockade the castle from the sea. Records from the time do not show the outcome of the siege.

In 1528 King James V besieged Tantallon for 20 days but failed to take it by force but in 1529, while Archibald the 6th Earl was in England, King James V bribed the garrison into surrender and Tantallon was delivered to the king. He immediately set about rebuilding Tantallons defences, which were not completed until 1543.

In 1651 Cromwell ordered General Monk to take Tantallon Castle and stop a force of 30 moss-troopers. So with a force of between 2 to 3,000 men he besieged Tantallon Castle for 12 days. Finally with the castle almost in ruin it was taken.

In 1669 the barony was sold to Sir Hew Dalrymple but he made no effort to make the castle inhabitable.

At the end of the 19th century Sir Walter Hamilton Dalrymple began to arrest the decay and did much to safeguard the fabric of the castle until it came into state care in 1924. 

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BORTHWICK CASTLE

Borthwick Castle was built in 1430, by Lord Borthwick as a twin towered keep. His tomb and that of his wife can still be seen in the old village church.

In 1567, Mary Queen of Scots and her third husband, the Earl of Bothwell, sought refuge in this impenetrable fortress. Here they spent their remaining days together before being parted. Mary escaped dressed as a pageboy and today her ghost has been seen in this disguise. She died upon the scaffold approximately 18 years later in 1588, whilst her husband passed away in a Danish prison after leaving the safety of the castle.

During the Civil War, roughly 100 years later, Oliver Cromwell’s army laid siege to Borthwick. His army with the use of cannon was able to destroy the east parapet and also tore a large cavity in the stonework. Today, the castles walls still bare the scars of Cromwell’s cannons.

The castle’s history is a gruesome one. The Borthwicks were known as warriors, who did not take kindly to prisoners. Legend has it that a popular pastime of the early lords was to grant the prisoners their freedom if they could complete just one feat. This feat was to jump across the gap between the castles towers, a distance of 12 feet. This may not seem a great distance until you realised that you had to do it with your hands tied behind your back. If you succeeded you were free to leave, if you didn’t then……! I will leave the consequences to your imagination!

In 1973 Borthwick Castle was leased from the Borthwick family and converted into a hotel.

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BOTHWELL CASTLE

Bothwell Castle sits atop a high steep bank above a bend in the River Clyde between Uddingston and the small town of Bothwell in Lanarkshire, Scotland . The huge cylindrical Donjon was built in the 13th century, but before the rest of the castle was completed it was severely damaged in a series of sieges. Rebuilding in the early 15th century enlarged the castle, but it was abandoned by the 18th century and became the present massive rectangular ruin, with the Donjon to the west and the later Great Hall to the east side of the rectangular central courtyard enclosed by long curtain walls the only remaining visible signs of its long and distinguished history.

In 1296 with only parts of the castle ( the Donjon, Prison Tower and the short connecting curtain wall) completed, the forces of King Edward I of England invaded Scotland at the start of the Wars of Scottish Independence and seized the castle.

Some 14 months later the English were besieged by Scottish forces during, who starved the occupying forces into submission. In August, 1301, Edward I brought a force of 6800 men complete with a high siege tower and re-took the castle after about 3 weeks of fighting. The English surrendered the castle after being defeated at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, then re-took it in 1336 and made it the headquarters of Edward III of England during his invasion of Scotland. During March 1337, a Scots army under the command of Andrew Murray of Bothwell re-took the castle (which was his ancestral home). In the process of retaking Bothwell castle the Scots demolished the western side of the great donjon, leaving only the eastern half standing.

During the later half of the 14th century Bothwell castle became the property of the Earls of Douglas who began a project of restoration and expansion, and by 1424 they had constructed the Great Hall and adjacent chapel with towers at the north east and south east corners and curtain walls connecting to the Donjon which enclosed the courtyard. For much of the 16th century the castle was the property of the crown and then came under the ownership of the Earls of Forfar in 1669.

By 1700 the Earls of Forfar abandoned the castle and moved to Bothwell House, a large new mansion built by Archibald Douglas, 1st earl of Forfar close to the east of the castle. The house was eventually demolished in 1926 due to mining subsidence.

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DUNDONALD CASTLE

Dundonald Castle, a relic from a time gone by, sited approximately midway between Troon and Kilmarnock was built for Robert II on his accession to the throne of Scotland in 1371 as a fortified tower house and was used as a royal residence by the early Stewart kings for the next 150 years.

Dundonald proudly stands on a hill which has been in continuous use since around 2000 BC with the first hill fort being constructed during the period 500 - 200 BC. The first real fortification on the site was a timber'motte' and 'bailey' construction, built during the middle of the 12th century. This was later replaced in the 13th century by a larger stone castle, which in turn, was destroyed during the wars with England in the 14th century.

The great hall, now roofless, contained an elaborately decorated ribbed vault. Though decorative, these transverse and diagonal ribs played no part in the structural support of the vault. There was a canopied fireplace in the west wall which has long since disappeared. At the northern end, a pointed doorway leads to two wall closets, one containing a latrine.

The ground floor was used for storage, with an entrance in the east wall and the stairs in the north wall led to the service area of the laigh or lower hall on the first floor. Dundonald castle also contained a minstrel's gallery, which had its own latrine, above the service area.

The western wall of the castle features 5 stone carved heraldic shields which are among the oldest in Scotland.

Dundonald Castle was originally reconstructed without any bedrooms or chambers. This was hastily rectified with the building of an extension to the south. The ground floor of the new building contained a bake house and small prison.

During the 15th century, King James III sold the whole of the Dundonald estate to the Cathcarts in 1482, who in turn passed it on to the Wallace’s in 1526 and by end of the 17th century Dundonald castle was in ruins.

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IRISH CASTLE

ASHFORD CASTLE

Ashford Castle is set in the idyllic countryside of county Mayo, surrounded by the tranquil settings of lush forests, shimmering lakes and picturesque mountains.

The de Burgo family founded Ashford Castle in1228, following the defeat of the O’Connor’s of Connaught.

For the next three hundred years the castle remained the ancestral home of the de Burgo’s who went on to build many other strongholds in the province.

In 1589, Ashford found its self in the hands of the English Lord Bingham, governor of Connaught, after a bloody and fierce battle between Lord Bingham’s forces and those of the de Burgos. After the inevitable truce, Lord Bingham constructed a fortified enclave within its grounds and the castle remained much as it was until 1715 when a French style chateau was added by the Oranmore and Browne family.

Sir Benjamin lee Guinness acquired the castle in 1852 and instantly added his mark to the ever change property. The estate was extended to include 26,000 acres of land; new roads were built as well as the addition of two Victorian style extensions. His son and keen gardener, Lord Adilaun was bequeathed the estate in 1868.

Lord Adilaun completely rebuilt and renovated the entire west wing of Ashford and added massive woodlands.

In 1915 the castle was given to the Iveagh trust on behalf of the family and there it remained until 1939 when it was brought and turned into a hotel by Noel Huggard.

During its long and colourful life Ashford castle has been host to Presidents (Ronald Regan in 1985) and Princes (Prince of Wales George V in 1905). It has been a temporary home to stars of the silver screen whilst they were filming “The Quiet Man” in 1951. 

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BLARNEY CASTLE

Blarney Castle home of the Blarney stone, was converted from its original 10th century timber hunting lodge to a stone castle in 1210. The third and presnt castle, of which the keep still remains was built by Dermot McCarthy, King of Munster In 1446.

The Castle remained the ancestral stronghold of the McCarthy family until the arrival of Oliver Cromwell with cannon guns in 1646. In 1661, Blarney castle reverted back to the McCarthys after King Charles II ascended the English throne.

In 1690 after the battle of Boyne , the McCarthys were once again evicted from Blarney castle when all Irish chiefs were stripped of their powers. Thirteen years later in 1703, Blarney was sold to Sir James Jefferyes, governor of Cork.

Blarney's most famous relic and one of Ireland's most famous tourist attractions is the Blarney stone, situated high up in the battlements of the castle. The stone is thought to be the other half of the stone of Scone which originally belonged to Scotland. Scottish Kings were crowned over the stone, because it was believed to have special powers and was given to Cormac McCarthy by Robert the Bruce in 1314 in return for his support in the Battle of Bannockburn (You remember Mel Gibson and Braveheart).

As well as the blarney stone, Blarney Castle is famous for “the Gift of the Blarney “ which had its origins after Queen Elizabeth I wanted Irish chiefs to agree to occupy their own lands under title from her. Cormac Teige McCarthy, the Lord of Blarney, handled every Royal request with subtle diplomacy, promising loyalty to the Queen without "giving in". Elizabeth proclaimed that McCarthy was giving her "a lot of Blarney", thus giving rise to the legend.

With just one kiss of the Blarney stone you too can acquire this gift of eloquence. A warning though - You may be talking Blarney for the remainder of your years. There is no known cure!!! 

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BUNRATTY CASTLE

Bunratty Castle, North Munster, is sited on an original Viking Trading Camp which dates back to around 970 and is the last of four castles to be built on the site. Robert De Muscegros, a Norman, built the first defensive fortress (an earthen mound with a strong wooden tower on top) in 1250. His lands were later granted to Thomas De Clare who built the first stone castle on the site.

In 1318 the castle and surrounding town were completely destroyed when Richard De Clare, son of Thomas was killed in a battle between the Irish and the Normans.

After being restored for the king of England, it was once again laid to waste in 1332 by Irish Chieftains. For 21 years it lay in a state of ruin until being rebuilt by Sir Thomas Rokeby.

Once again the Irish besieged Bunratty and to this day has remained in Irish hands.

The present castle was built in 1425 by the McNamara family and remained in their possession until 1475 when it past to the O’Brien’s, the largest clan in North Munster. They then went about landscaping the castle grounds with picturesque gardens and which reputedly sustained a herd of 3000 deer.

Under Henry VIII's 'surrender and re-grant' scheme, the O'Brien's were granted the title 'Earls of Thomond' and they agreed to profess loyalty to the King of England. The reign of the O’Brien’s came to an end with the arrival of the Cromwellian troops and the castle and its grounds were surrendered. The O’Brien’s never returned to Bunratty.

Bunratty Castle and its lands were granted to various Plantation families, the last of whom was the Studdart family. In 1804 Bunratty fell into disrepair after the family decided to relocate to a more modern and comfortable at Bunratty House, located in the grounds of Folk Park.

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Bunratty Castle was finally returned to its former glory when Lord Gort purchased the estate in 1954. It is now the most complete and authentically restored and furnished castle in Ireland and it has been open to the public since 1960.

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LISMORE CASTLE

Lismore castle is perhaps the most spectacular castle in Ireland and has been the Irish home of the Duke of Devonshire since 1753. There has been a castle at Lismore since 1185 when Prince John built a "castellum" on the present site. The earliest remaining part of the castle, dating back to the 13th century, is a round tower.

After John ascended the English throne he handed Lismore Castle over to the church and it was used as Bishops Palace until 1589.

Sir Walter Raleigh brought the castle in 1589 and when he was imprisoned in The Tower of London in 1602, sold Lismore and 42,000 acres of land to Richard Boyle who later became the first Earl of Cork, for the princely sum of £1,500 pounds.

During the Cromwellian wars, Lismore Castle and the surrounding town was sacked by Catholic confederates lead by Lord Castlehaven in 1645.

In 1753, the Castle and its lands passed to the fourth Duke of Devonshire following his marriage in 1748 to Lady Charlotte Boyle, the only surviving daughter and heiress of the fourth Earl of Cork (1695-1753). The sixth Duke (1790-1858), known as the bachelor Duke, undertook the most extensive restoration of the Castle.

Some restoration work was carried out between 1612 and 1694 by the Second Earl of Cork, with minor repairs until 1800. Much of the present castle dates from around the time of the First Earl of Cork.

Over the centuries many prominent people and Kings have been guests at Lismore, these included James II in 1690 after the Battle of Boyne, Charles Dickens, William Makepeace Thackery, John F. Kennedy and Fred Astaire who was regularly seen visiting after Adele Astaire, Fred Astaire's sister, married Lord Charles Cavendish who lived in the Castle between 1932 and 1944. 

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TRIM CASTLE

Trim castle the largest Anglo-Norman castle in Ireland is situated on the banks of the Boyne River was erected by Hugh de Lacy in 1172 and destroyed by Roderick of Connaught in 1174.

By the time of King Johns visit in 1210, the castle had begun to resemble today’s structure.

De Lacey died before the completion of his project and the castle was finally finished in 1224.

Further modifications to Trim Castle fell to Geoffrey de Geneville, De Lacy’s grandson-in-law during the end of the 13th century. Geoffrey was involved in the crusades and latter became a monk at the Dominican abbey which he founded in 1263.

For the next 300 years Trim Castle enjoyed a relatively quiet life when in 1536, Silken Thomas besieged and conquered the castle. During the Civil War, the castle was occupied by Catholic Confederate forces who were opposing the parliamentarians.

Charles Coote and his band of Comwellian forces took the castle in 1649, severely damaging the town’s walls and yellow Steeple.

Up until the 15th century the castle contained the Royal mint which manufactured Irish coins called ‘Patricks’ and ‘Irelands’. In 1971, archaeological excavations were undertaken and the bodies of 10 headless men (most probably criminals) were uncovered. These bodies may have been as a result of the proclamation of King Edward IV who in 1465, ordered that anyone who was caught in the act of robbing or was about to commit an act of robbery, were to be sentenced to death by execution. This took the form of loosing your head and having it displayed on spikes as a warning to others.

The cannons you encounter as you enter the castles car park are captured Russian guns from the Crimean War and bear the insignia of the imperial double-headed eagle.

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GERMAN CASTLE

MESPELBRUNN CASTLE

Mespelbrunn Castle is one of the loveliest castles in northern Bavaria and is located in a small, hidden, picturesque valley. It is because of this concealment that it had survived the thirty Years War and remained unscathed during both World Wars. Mespelbrunn is one of the few castles in Germany that has retained its original form with the oldest part of the castle being the mighty tower. Its origins dating back to the thirteenth century.

Other parts of the Mespelbrunn castle were erected by the knight Peter Echter and replaced a smaller building which stood between the tower and the chapel. The northern and eastern aisles of the castle are supported by fascinating stone columns. Those on the north side are decorated with rosettes, heads of angels and masks, very typical emblems of the Renaissance style. This part of the castle is entirely built in German Renaissance style. On one of the columns with a carved date of 1564 you will see the alliance coat of arms of the knight Peter Echter and his wife, Lady Adelsheim. It depicts the coat of arms of the Echter Family - three rings and a horn that of the Adelsheim.

Mespelbrunn castle also contains a Knight’s Hall, a room where the knights formerly assembled. The porches, windows and the columns in the hall are made of magnificent red sandstone, and the carved hands at the base of these columns symbolized the steadfast clinging of the house and its inhabitants to the soil. There is a tale that as long as these columns in the knights hall are standing, the Ingleheim-Echter family will flourish.

The Chapel, situated in the north-west corner of the castle, was built by the knight Hamann Echter who also established a farm for a priest to live on. Until recently a priest lived at Mespelbrunn castle and celebrated Holy Mass every day. The Chapel alter was built in the 16th century by another member of the family and was made of alabaster by the Wuerzburg master Michael Kern.

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Some of the windows in the castle have been painted by Countess Antoinette Ingleheim. They show the genealogical tree of the last Lady Echter, her coat of arms, the coat of arms of her parents, grandparents, great grand parents and so on. Other windows show the genealogical tree of her husband: Count Philip Ludwig von Ingleheim.

By grant of the Kaiser, Count von Ingleheim combined his name and coat of arms with that of the Echter family - Count von Ingleheim and his decedents are now called: Count Ingleheim Echter von Mespelbrunn. The old parchment bill with the Kaiser's grant is still in the family archives. 

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NEUSCHWANSTEIN CASTLE

The ultimate in fantasy,Neuschwanstein Castle was King Ludwig II's first castle. He planned it for the alpine region around Hohenschwangau, the area he loved most.

The first seeds of inspiration for the great castle came from a mini-Wagner festival that Ludwig ordered for the Munich Court Theatre in 1867, and it was this love of Wagner that was influential in his choice for the final design of Neuschwanstien castle.

The first plans were drawn up soon after Ludwig's failed engagement and to help himself recover, he immersed himself wholly into designing Neuschwanstien. Christian Jank, the scenery designer at the Court Theatre, painted the designs for the castle, and these initial designs were then translated into architectural plans by Eduard Riedel.

At first the castle was planned to be a small but ornate castle in a high Gothic style, with delicate turrets topped with high-pointed roofs and a huge tower. The first plan was rejected as being too small. The architect’s second design showed a larger and more ornate castle in a German Gothic style. By 1869, Neuschwanstien castle had became a massive temple to Wagner, and Christian Jank's design from that year was adopted for the project.

Neuschwanstien had such luxuries as forced-air heating and indoor plumbing. But the most distinctive feature of the castle was that it was designed to be a stage for Wagner’s operas. Some rooms were designed explicitly as places where an opera might be performed, but in every room and corridor of the castle the architecture and artwork reflected the German mythology that formed the basis of Wagner’s operas. One of the most unusual rooms — is called the Grotto. It’s a superbly convincing artificial cave with waterfalls and stalactites. The Grotto was intended to represent a cave from Wagner’s opera “Tannhäuser.”

When construction finally began, it was envisaged that Ludwig would be able to move into Neuschwanstien castle within three years or there about. Construction was painfully

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slow and more than a decade later Neuschwanstein castle was still not complete. In 1883 Wagner died, causing Ludwig tremendous grief. A year later, Ludwig decided to move in, even though the structure was still unfinished and the throne room was not yet ready to hold a throne. Ludwig took up residence in Neuschwanstein castle but only for a grand total of eleven nights.

In 1886, Ludwig died under suspicious circumstances at the age of 41 and construction on Neuschwanstein continued for another eight years. When the builders finally stopped, only a third of the rooms had been finished and decorated.

Without Ludwig, Wagner may never have achieved the successes he did, and without Wagner, Neuschwanstein castle would never have been built.

The “swan king,” as he is sometimes called, built other equally interesting castles and led a fascinating, if deeply troubled life. 

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BURGHAUSEN CASTLE

Burghausen Castle is located in Bavaria in southern Germany, east of Munich and is situated on the west bank of the Salzach River, built atop a ridge. The castle stretches for over a full kilometre and is divided into six courtyards. It is also the longest castle in Germany and Europe.

In 600 AD the first building on the castle site was a wooden fortified house built by Bavarian Dukes. It served for general administration as well as for the protection of the salt trade, shipped on the Salzach River.

The German King Konrad II made Burghausen and the surrounding districts into an Earldom and appointed Bailiffs to administer it.

The first expansion of Burghausen castle was made by Count Sieghart X in 1090, but most of the buildings have disappeared. It stayed the seat of the counts of Burghausen until 1163. In that year Heinrich the Lion, took possession of the castle and the Earldom until 1180.

Until 1918 the Bavarian Dukes of Wittelsbach ruled Bavaria and extended Burghausen castle further through the centuries. Duke Heinrich XIII built the main castle in 1255, and much of it stands still today. The most important building periods however were under the rule of the last three Dukes (Heinrich, Ludwig and George) of Lower Bavaria. They expanded and reinforced Burghausen castle to its present appearance under the impression of the Turk danger (1480 - 1490).

In the 18th century the castle underwent massive conversions and, as result of the succession wars in the first half of the 18th century and the loss of parts of the country to Austria, Burghausen became a border town.

The castle complex is divided into six courtyards. Each courtyard had or has its own fortified gate, moat and wooden drawbridge. Likewise each courtyard was built at a different time and has its own history.

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The Palace of the Duke's Residence was located within the first courtyard, as well as The Durnitz (Gothic Hall), the Kemenate, the Inner Castle Chapel and the Treasury. The Chapel was built during the 13th century.

The second courtyard is very large, but many of the original buildings are gone and have not been rebuilt.

In the third courtyard there was a smithy or forge. It also housed an arsenal with it's top two floors allocated for grain storage. It contains one of finest preserved bridge and gate of any castle of medieval times. It is also the narrowest part of the castle and the wooden bridge spans 27 meters and covers a moat 8 meters deep.

The fourth courtyard housed another stable with grain storage, the prison, Torture Tower or Witches Tower and a deep dungeon.

The fifth courtyard contained the main Tower and a small Gothic style chapel, which was built between 1480 and 1490.

The sixth and largest of the courtyards is also the most altered of the castle. In the middle stands a Clock Tower. There was also a horse pond and a horse drawn mill.

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HEIDELBERG CASTLE

On the summit of Jettenbuhl, Heidelberg Castle (mainly 14th-17th centuries) gazes majestically over the Old Town and is one of the most impressive historical landmarks of Germany. The structure, now largely in ruins, preserves numerous examples of medieval, Renaissance, and baroque German architecture. 

Prince Elector Ruprecht III (1398-1410) erected the first building as a royal residence and over the next 400 years, ramparts, outbuildings and palaces were added.

The Fountain Hall, located opposite, was erected by Prince Elector Philipp (1476 – 1508). It was rumoured that the prince had the columns transferred from a decayed palace of Charlemagne to Heidelberg.

The Prince Electors of the 16th and 17th century turned the fortress into a castle and added two representative palace buildings. The two dominant buildings at the eastern and northern side of the courtyard were erected during the rule of Ottheinrich (1556 - 1559) and Friedrich IV (1583 - 1610). Today, they are considered to be two of the most important buildings in German architectural history.

Under Friedrich V (1613 - 1619), the main building of the west side was erected, the so called "English Building." The Castle and its garden were destroyed, during the Thirty Years War. Later, they were rebuilt by Prince Elector Karl Ludwig (1649 - 1680), only to be destroyed once again by French troops. Prince Elector Karl Theodor, who resided in Schwetzingen, tried to restore the castle to make it inhabitable once again, but in vain: Lightning struck the Castle in 1764.

In the centuries that followed, the Castle was misused as a quarry - castle stones helped to build new houses in Heidelberg. This was stopped in 1800 by Count Charles de Graimberg who made any effort he could to preserve the Heidelberg Castle. In spite of its Gothic interior, it was not until 1934 that the King's Hall was added.

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Today, the hall is used for festivities such as dinner banquets, balls and theatre performances. During the Heidelberg Castle Festival in the summer, the courtyard is the site of open air musicals, operas and theatre performances and classical concerts

The cellar of Heidelberg Castle contains the famed Heidelberg Tun, a wine vat with a capacity of 220,017 litres (58,124 gallons). The present day barrel was constructed in 1751 from 130 oak tree trunks; it is 8.5 meters across and 7 meters high with a dance floor on top. It was built under Karl Theodor; a baroque plaque bears his initials. 

COLDITZ CASTLE

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The building of Colditz castle was begun in 1158 after Emperor Frederick Barbossa appointed Thimo I “Lord Colditz”. During the 13th century, the town of Colditz was established and the surrounding forests, meadows and farmland settled.

The middle ages saw Colditz castle playing an essential role as a watchtower for the German Emperors, thus becoming an integral part of the Reich territories of Pleibenland. At the start of the 15th century, Thimo VIII sold Colditz for 15,000 silver marks to the Wettin family, ending 250 years of rule by the Lords of Colditz.

In 1430, the Hussites attacked Colditz, setting the city and castle alight. Thirty years later in 1464, restoration work on the castle was started by Prince Ernst, who died at the castle in 1486. Under Frederick the Wise and Johann the Gentle, Colditz became a royal residence of the Electors of Saxony.

Colditz was never far away from trouble and in 1504; a servant accidentally set Colditz on fire. The castle, city hall, church and a large part of the city went up in flames. In 1506, rebuilding of the castle was carried out and new buildings were raised around the rear castle courtyard. During the first half of the 16th century the park at Colditz castle was turned into one of the largest zoos in Europe.

The castle underwent further modification during the reign of the elector Augustus of Saxony (1553 to 1586), with the alterations being carried out in the Renaissance style.

Around 1584, the castle became an administrative centre for the Office of Colditz and a hunting lodge and in 1694, the present owner, Augustus the Strong, began extension work on the castle. These extensions included a second courtyard and the addition of 700 rooms.

The castle was turned into a workhouse in 1803 by Frederick Augustus III, Elector of Saxony. For the next 26 years until 1829, it feed the poor, the ill, and persons under arrest. This chapter in the castles history was then transferred to an institution in Zwickau. In 1829 the castle became a mental hospital for the "incurably insane" from Waldheim. In 1864, a purposely built hospital was erected on the site where the stables and working quarters were previously located. It remained a mental institution until 1924.

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When the Nazi party came to power in 1933, Colditz Castle was turned into a political prison for communists, homosexuals, Jews, and other "undesirables". It was not until World War II that allied prisoners were interned within its walls.

Towards the end of the war, in May 1945, the Soviets occupied Colditz. They turned the castle into a prison camp for local burghers and non-communists. Later the castle became a home for the aged, as well as a hospital and psychiatric clinic.

The final occupiers of Colditz castle vacated the premises on August 1, 1996, and since then the castle has been almost empty except for the occasional visitor. 

WARTBURG CASTLE

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Wartburg Castle was founded in 1067 by the landgrave Ludwig the Springer and according to legend, the castle (Burg) got its name when its founder first laid eyes on the hill upon which the Wartburg now sits; taken with with the site, he is supposed to have exclaimed, "Warte, Berg--du sollst mir eine Burg werden!" ("Wait, mountain--you should become a castle for me!").

Wartburg was the seat of the Thuringian landgraves until 1440, and as a place of courtly culture it became the venue of the Sangerkrieg, the Minstrels' Contest, around 1207 with contestants such as Walther von der Vogelweide, Wolfram von Eschenbach, Albrecht von Halberstadt, and many others, taking part.

The sainted Elisabeth of Hungary (later of Thuringia), also spent part of her life from 1211 to 1228 at Wartburg castle as consort of Ludwig IV.

Martin Luther sought refuge at the castle, from May 1521 until March 1522, at the request of Frederick the Wise, after being victimized for being one of the originators of the Reformation. It was during this period that under the assumed name of Junker Jorge (the Knight George), Martin Luther translated the New Testament into German.

The Castle has been extensively modified throughout its life with many earlier modifications being overbuilt by later additions. For example, between 1952 and 1966, the East German Government restored Wartburg Castle to how it looked in the 16th century, which included Martin Luther's Room.

The Romanesque Palace (or Great Hall) is the oldest and most impressive of the buildings. Besides the chapel, it also contains the Sangersaal (Hall of the Minstrels), which was used by Wagner as inspiration for the setting of his Tannhauser and the Festsaal (the Feast or Festival Hall), both of which contain fine frescoes by Moritz von Schwind. Part of the Palace contains remnants of the original castle built by the Thuringian landgraves between 1157 and 1170.

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The castle gate behind the drawbridge is the only access to the Castle, and it has remained exactly as it was throughout the centuries.

The Knights' House on the western side of the drawbridge dates back to the 15th century and most likely served as a hall of residence for the servants and guards.

Wartburg’s South Tower (erected in 1318) contains the dungeon; and the Castle keep (completed in 1859 and which has a four-meter Latin cross at its top; the Vogtei (the Bailiff's Lodge) in which Martin Luther’s room is situated; two covered walks, the Elisabeth and the Margaret; and the New Bower (the Kemenate or Women's Chamber).

The castles armoury use to house a magnificent collection of approximately 800 items, ranging from the splendid armour of King Henry II to the items of Frederick the Wise, Pope Julius II and Bernhard von Weimar. All these were confiscated by the Soviet Occupation Army in 1946 and have since vanished. Two helmets and swords, a prince's and a boy's armour, however, were found hidden in a temporary store at the time and a few pieces were handed over by Russia in the 1960s. The help of the new Russian Government has been sought in locating and returning the missing treasures.

During its long and colourful life, Wartburg Castle has become a place of pilgrimage to many people from within Germany and abroad and in 1999, was added to the World Heritage List as an "Outstanding Monument of the Feudal Period in Central Europe". 

CELLE CASTLE

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Celle Castle(German: Schloss Celle) within the German town of Celle in Lower Saxony was one of several residences of the House of Brunswick- Lüneburg. This four- winged building is the largest castle in the southern Lüneburg Heath district.

Celle Castle is founded on a fortified wall tower(Wehrturm) with the character of a water castle, that guarded a ford over the River Aller. This first fortification, called Kellu, was built by a Brunonen count around 980. Another forerunner of the castle, which could have been an extension of the wall tower, was founded in 1292 by Otto the Strict. The cellar vault as well as the lower stories of the watch tower have survived to the present day. Its ruins lie underneath the castle theatre. Around 1315 the actual Castrum Celle was first recorded. As a consequence of the Lüneburg War of Succession, in 1378 the Dukes of Brunswick- Lüneburg transferred their Residenz from Lüneburg to Celle and began transforming the Burg, now encircled by ditches and embankments, into a Schloss. About a century later the castle was further expanded by Frederick the Pious from 1471 – 1478, and the castle chapel was consecrated in 1485. Ernest I the Confessor had the castle decorated from 1530 in the renaissance style. Simultaneously, between 1520 and 1560, the defences, in the form of ramparts and bastions, were pushed further out. At this time the castle was typical of its era, a four- winged building having a rectangular courtyard, with massive corner towers, a sizable main tower and characteristic features of Weser Renaissance.

From 1670 onwards alterations at the castle were undertaken by Duke George William, which were intended to transform the old renaissance seat into a contemporary Residenz. George William was keen on building, typical of the princes of his time, and made further changes that were intended to recall his time in Italy. The façades, that were copied from Venetian buildings, were then given their present- day appearance. Notable features include the corona of gables that encircles the roofs, and the unusual shape of the domed towers. The addition of the castle theatre and the baroque state rooms stem from this period.

On the death of George William in 1705 the absolute rule of the dukes ended. The Principality of Lüneburg was subsequently passed, along with the Principality of Calenberg, to the Kingdom of Hanover. Celle castle lost its political significance and stood empty again for a long time. From 1772 it was occupied by the British- born, Danish queen, Caroline Matilda, the daughter of Frederick, Prince of Wales, who was banished to Celle because of of her affair with Johann Friedrich Struensee of Copenhagen. The unhappy queen only lived at the Celle court until 1775 when she died

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at a relatively young age of scarlet fever. In the 19th century the castle was occasionally used by the Hanoverian royal household as a summer residence. As a result Georg Ludwig Friedrich Laves had several interior alterations made in 1839 and 1840.

Celle castle still has a variety of rooms and halls that date back to the different period. The court chapel was converted after the Reformation and is preserved almost unchanged with its renaissance architecture. The barock- style state rooms were created under George William and are also preserved. In the Gothic Hall there are constantly changing exhibitions and in the East Wing is a section of Celle's Bomann Museum, which is dedicated to the history of the Kingdom of Hanover. The historic castle rooms and also the castle chapel, restored between 1978 and 1981, may be visited as part of a guided tour.

COCHEM CASTLE

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It is thought that Cochem Castle which stands on a hill 100 metres above the River Mosel was built around the start of the 11th century and was first mentioned in a document dating from 1051.

In 1294, the castle, the city of Cochem, as well as the surrounding imperial property of about 50 villages was pawned to Boemund I of Trier by king Adolf of Nassau to help pay for his coronation as German emperor. This did not bode well for the castle as king Adolf nor his heir, King Albrecht I of Austria were able to find the necessary funds to reacquire the castle. The resulting outcome meant that the archbishops of Trier kept Cochem Castle as a hereditary fiefdom until 1794.

During the reign of Archbishop Balduin (1307-1354) the old castle was enlarged and fortified and from 1419, the Lords of the castle were replaced by local magistrates.

When the armies of King Louis XIV (the Sun King) invaded the Rhine and the Moselle in 1688 during the war of succession of the Palatinate, Cochem castle, was occupied, torched and finally destroyed in 1689.

The castle remained in ruins until 1868, when a Berlin businessman, Mr. Louis Ravené, brought the castle lands and the ruins and began reconstruction work on Cochem Castle incorporating the remains of the late Gothic buildings.

The entire castle was rebuilt in the then popular Neo-Gothic architectural style.

This was in keeping with the current fashion of the period in Germany during the 19th century. The fashion at the time throughout Germany was for the nobility or other wealthy citizens to purchase and refurbish castle ruins as family summer residences. The Ravené family followed this trend and used the castle as a family summer residence.

Since 1978 the castle has been owned by the town of Cochem and is run by "Reichsburg Cochem Ltd." 

ITALIAN CASTLE

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LAQUILA CASTLE

Laquila Castle is one of the most impressive Italian Castles of the Renaissance period and is situated in the Abruzzo region of Italy. In 1528, Filiberto of Orange ordered the building of a fortress at the highest point North of Aquila to punish its citizens in response to their rebellious behaviour.

The Castle consisted of four bastions connected by walls 60 meters long surmounted by great “merlons”. These massive structures had openings, which allowed the castles archers and cannon to unleash their destructive firepower upon the besieging army below. A trench 23 meters wide and 14 meters deep was excavated around L’Aquila. Its purpose was to defend the castle and help protect it from the opposing armies’ artillery. The angle of the ditch’s walls would deflect any cannon shot from harms way.

Each of the four bastions consisted of two independent environments called “case matte”- self-contained garrisons. Water for the castle was obtained via the town’s aqueduct, which had its course, altered to first flow into the castle then onto the town.

A special feature of this Italian castle was an anti-mine corridor (a space set between the inner and outer walls which could only be transgressed by one person at a time) The purpose of the corridor was to help defend the castle in case of engineers tunnelling under the foundations and leaving mines.

Laquila Castle was built not for defensive purposes but to control the city, with most of the castles cannon pointing towards the city. The cannons were never used in anger but remained silent throughout the history of the castle. 

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CASTELLO DI OSTIA CASTLE

Castello di Ostia (Castle of Ostia) – in the Italian region of Lazio, began life during the early part of the 1400’s, when Pope Marino V ordered the construction of an “excelsa turris et rotunda.”

Towards the end of the 14th century a fortress was built upon the rotunda in all the magnificence and splendour of the renaissance period and became closely linked with Rome and the papacy.

Guiliano della Rovere who later went on to become Pope Julius II was commissioned to build the castle and construction finished in 1487.

Pope Paul III had the unenviable task of restoring the castle after it was ransacked by the Lansquenets. It was later bombed by the Spaniards and became a centre of military power for the pontiffs. In 1557 the use of the castle as a base for their military power declined due to the flooding of the River Tiber. This decline was caused by the diversion of the Tiber away from the castle.

The castle, triangular in shape has two round towers in the corners and a central building standing 24 meters high and 15 meters in diameter, is divided into two distinct areas –military and residential.

One of the towers of Castello di Ostia has a very unusual staircase. The extraordinary feature of the staircase is that the steps are not supported by a structure of any kind. This is achieved by each step being incorporated in the wall of the tower with the weight of each step being borne by the following step.

LARRI CASTLE

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First recorded in the 11th century and sitting quietly in the Pisan hills,Lari Castle played a major part in the numerous battles between Pisa and Lucca during the medieval period.

The castle became the property of the Archbishops of Pisa during the 12th century and by 1230 the Upezzinghi family who originated from Pisa used Lari as their home.

From 1289, Lari Castle became an important border fortress for the Republic of Pisa being besieged numerous times by the armies of the Republic of Florence. Lari finally succumbed to the constant barrages when in 1406 the armies of Florence finally won their battle with the Republic of Pisa . Lari fell into the Florentine hands. The castle became the new home of the Florentine governors and members of the aristocracy .

Subsequent centuries saw the castle being turned into a most splendid and luxurious residence suitable for the Kings of Tuscany.

Lari castle repeatedly came under siege during the whole of the 15th century due to the on going attempt by the Republic of Pisa to gain independence from the Florentines. Each attempt failed and Lari acquired the unenviable tag of being invincible.

The town finally came under the control of the Republic of Florence in the 16th century. They immediately took steps to fortify and redecorate the castle. This restoration work was carried out by Francesco da San Gallo in 1530 and in 1559 by David Fortini. Numerous frescos decorated the inner walls of the castle.

In 1848 the post of Governor was abolished and replaced by that ofpraetor and up until 1962 was used as a prison and court and sustained heavy damage during the allied and German bombardments during WWII. 

CASTLE DE MONTE CASTLE

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Castel de Monte, octagonal in shape, was built by Fredrick II between 1229 and 1249. It was reportedly used as a mansion and hunting lodge as Fredrick was a keen falconer using the birds for hunting. The castle was built without any defensive capabilities i.e. drawbridge or ditch to hinder any attacking armies thus giving rise to the assumption that the castle was indeed built to be used only as a hunting lodge and mansion.

King Fredrick’s illegitimate daughter was married within the castles grounds in 1249.

Castel de Monte was also used as a prison and Fredrick had his grandchildren Enrico, Fredrico and Azzolino as the first prisoners incarcerated within its walls. During 1665, the Noble families of Andria took refuge within the castle during the great plague of the same year.

By the 17th century, Castel de Monte was left to ruin and was robbed of its marble and sculptures, later becoming a home to the local shepherds and bandits. In 1876 the Italian state took control of the castle, beginning the much needed restoration work. 

Another castle of note within the same region of Italy built by Fredrick II was Castello Normanno-Svevo. It was constructed in 1132 over earlier Norman ruins and was used as a means of controlling the entry into the city of Bari. The design of Castello Normanno-Svevo is trapezoidal in shape and the four corner towers were added by the Duchess Isabella of Aragon and Bona Sforza.

The castle came under repeated attacks by the local inhabitants of Bari and in 1156 Guglielmo I destroyed the city in act of reprisal. Under the guidance of the Aragonese in the 16th century, the castle was completely surrounded with stone walls capable of withstand the onslaught of canon and weapon fire.

Castello Normanno-Svevo was also used as a prison and military barracks and is now the home of the Art Offices for Apulia. 

CASTELLO SFORZESCO CASTLE

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Castello sforzesco castle from the 15th century when Francesco Sforza started rebuilding the castle in 1450 a top of an older castle which was built by Galeazzo II during the later half of the 1300’s.

In 1499, the dukedom of Milan was being disputed by the king of France, the German emperor and members of the Sforza family. These disputes lead to the castle becoming involved in countless attempts by the foreign powers to gain control of the city of Milan.

Between 1515 and 1534, the French under Francesco I of Angouleme held control of the castle and the dukedom of Milan. It was back in the hands of the Sforza family for only a short period of time when in November of 1534, Francesco Sforza left the dukedom and castle to the emperor Charles V of Spain. In 1549, the Spanish started a massive rebuilding program which saw Castello Sforzesco turned into a fortified citadel.

By the early 1700’s the Spanish were ousted and a new era of ownership was about to begin.

The Austrian’s remained occupiers of the castle and the dukedom of Milan until 1859, when the province of Lombardia was unified with the Kingdom of Sardinia. During this transition the castle was attacked and looted by the local citizens who stripped the castle of all its furniture, arms and provisions.

In 1893, the architect Luca Beltrami saved the castle from destruction by fully restoring it to its former glory. The restoration work lasted until 1903 and now houses a museum. 

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