Warwick Castle, Warwickshire

Almost a thousand years has passed in the life of Warwick Castle. This life has seen a transition from medieval castle to theme park. Today it is one of the finest examples of an English stately home, competing against its new incarnation as a major tourist attraction.

Warwick Castle has its roots back in the year 914 AD. In this year the first recorded fortifications were erected by Ethelfleda. Situated above the River Avon, the site made a perfect defensive setting. In the time of Ethelfleda and her father, Alfred the Great, Warwick was often attacked by the marauding Danes. These first wooden fortifications made up part of the defensive network for the Kingdom of Wessex.

Warwick Castle from the Avon - Misterweiss - Released into PD

The first stone fortifications were made after the Norman Conquest, when in 1068 the first stones were laid on the site. William the Conqueror made a gift of the land, and associated title of Earl of Warwick, to Henry de Newburgh. Henry needed a strong castle to protect his lands and so built a standard wooden motte and bailey castle, with some stone ramparts. This started a fortification that would prove to be the home to some of the most powerful men in English history.

The owners of the castle often played an integral role to the politics of the country. In 1264, during the War of the Barons, Simon de Montfort and his men took the castle and continued to build up the castle and its defences. It was de Montfort who kidnapped William Maudit, the Earl of Warwick, and his wife until a ransom was paid.

Following the death of Maudit, the castle and earldom passed into the Beauchamp family.For one hundred and eighty years, the family continued to expand the castle, adding buildings as required to make the castle into a comfortable home. A great hall had been erected in the time of Maudit but residential blocks were now added. The Beauchamps were responsible for the outline of the building as it is seen today.

The great hall was redeveloped, a water gate was added, as was a gatehouse and polygonal tower. This tower is known as Guy’s Tower’ and was remarkable tall for the time, standing as it does at one hundred and twenty eight foot in height. This tower is dwarfed by Caesar’s Tower’, which is taller by almost twenty foot. This tower is connected to the gatehouse to its west; the gatehouse itself is one of the finest examples in England, with a succession of portcullises. The rest of the castle was completed with thick walling, as well smaller towers, creating a defendable enclosure around the core of the castle.

Warwick Castle and Grounds - Gernot Keller - CC-BY-SA-2.0

When the Beauchamp male line came to an end, Richard Neville married into the family, becoming the new Earl of Warwick. The influence of Neville was such that during the War of the Roses he became known as the Kingmaker’, Neville was able to get Edward IV onto the throne before removing him for the previous incumbent Henry VI. Within two generations though, the title of Earl of Warwick had been revoked. Edward Plantagenet, the then Earl of Warwick, was accused of treason, Plantagenet having a claim to the throne of England.

The title of Earl of Warwick was then created for worthy individuals and their families in the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. Gaps in the title though meant that, the Castle was not necessarily owned by an Earl. There was in fact at one point an Earl of Warwick and an Earl of Warwick Castle.
Despite the political nature of manner of the castle’s owners, Warwick Castle managed to survive through the War of the Roses and the Civil War, pretty much unscathed. Warwick Castle was even besieged during the Civil War, although after the war, the castle was not destroyed unlike many of its contemporaries, castles like Corfe Castle in Dorset.

In Georgian and Victorian times, the stately home and castle were made even grander, under the Greville family. The grounds were developed extensively and even Capability Brown was hired to landscape large parts of the castle ground. The development saw a succession of royalty, King George IV, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, and Edward VII were all regular guests at the castle.
In the later part of the twentieth century Warwick Castle was one of the last stately homes to remain in private hands. To gain income though, Warwick Castle teamed up with nine other stately homes to form the Treasure House of England. The aim was to promote and market the homes as tourist attractions. This venture though was short lived and within a decade, by 1978, the castle was sold to the Tussauds group.

Warwick Castle by Night - Rick Marin - Released into PD

The Tussauds group invested large amounts of money to renovate and restore the castle buildings, as well bringing the gardens back to their Georgian splendour. Now part of Merlin Entertainments, Warwick Castle has continued to mould itself into a medieval theme park.

Visitors should be aware like many other theme parks, visiting does not come cheap. There is some slight discount for pre-booking. Buyer beware though as not all attractions are included within this price.

There are some interesting attractions that are in keeping with the medieval setting. A working model of a trebuchet can be fired by visitors if there is professional supervision. A 6 tonnes counterweight allows stone balls to be fired many hundred feet. Nearby is the archery display, with the added chance to shoot some arrows yourself, if you want to spend another few pounds for five shots. The bird show is a good way to pass some time, as eagles, vultures and hawks take place in the Winged Warriors’ show.

There are two main attractions though. The first of which is the live action ghost show. Again an added cost, depending on the time of year you visit, but for once well worth it. The show recreates the murder of Sir Fulke Greville back in 1628, and is by no means for the faint of heart. Secondly there is the Royal Weekend Party. A genuine weekend from 1898 is recreated using life size models and period furniture, with guests including the Prince of Wales and a young Winston Churchill.

The castle and grounds are open all year around, aside from Christmas Day, though again any visitor should check opening hours, and also what attractions are going to be open on their day of visiting. Expect the grounds to be crowded though as it is one of the most visited attractions in England.

Warwick Castle is one of the premier historical sites in England. It can be argued that turning it into a theme park has meant the loss of the ancient charm, but it has meant more visitors attend are therefore able to learn about part of the nation’s history.

Source www.warwick-castle.com

Copyright - First Published 9th March 2008