English Castles dot the countryside giving glimpses of lifestyles long past

Today, many of the great English Castles, which are as diverse in character as their many inhabitants and having stood the test of time and the ravages of winters long gone, stand in silent testimony to their architects and builders.

English castles dot a countryside of rolling hills and green pastures, giving us glimpses of lifestyles long past. The English are immensely proud of their castles, rightly believing them to be an important part of their country's unique heritage and culture.

They range in size from the tiny at Lindisfarne in Northumberland to the elegant Alnwick Castle dubbed the 'Windsor of the North'. Some castles have a myriad of ghosts haunting their corridors and passages whilst others have been converted to hotels and guesthouses.

Theses great English castles have a heritage that can be traced back over 900 years or more and her people are proud of their past.

Alnwick Castle was built by the Norman baron, Yvo de Vescy in the 11th century, as a timber motte castle and was reconstructed of stone during the early part of the 12th century.

Lindisfarne Castle sits perched atop a rocky crag on Holy Island and was built between 1570 and 1572 as a Tudor fort to defend the area from nearby Scotland.

Warwick Castle can boast a truly gruesome past. It has witnessed murder and violence, suffered attack, experienced wars, and been involved in royal and political treachery.

Carisbrooke Castle,near Newport, Isle of Wight was constructed in the 11th century after the Norman invasion.

Originally a Roman fortress,Pevensey Castle saw its fair share of the violent power play of the middle ages. As early as 491 AD, resident Britons were massacred by invading Anglo-Saxons.

Tintagel Castle is most famous for its association with legendary British King, Arthur. The site is known to have been occupied by the Romans for tin mining, but it is as a Royal stronghold of the Cornish Kings during the 5th & 6th centuries that the legend takes hold.

Stafford Castle standing as a silent guardian, has dominated the township of Stafford since 1100.

Pendennis Castle, which lies on the western bank of the River Fal, was constructed along with her sister castle St. Mawes between 1540 and 1545.

Lancaster Castle stemmed from an original fort built by the Romans overlooking the town of Lancaster and the River Lune to help combat the invading forces of the Picts and Scots.

Herstmonceux Castle was constructed at a time when English castles, built as military fortifications, were coming to an end. Instead it was designed along the lines of a grand mansion using a newly developed, highly fashionable product of the day – ‘Bricks’.

St Mawes Castle was built by Henry VIII as part of a protective chain of fortresses along the south coast of England and was built between 1539 and 1545 on the eastern shore of the River Fal at a cost of then, a princely sum of £5000 pounds.

Over the centuries Grimsthorpe Castle has been subject to the ever changing styles of the day and the fortunes of its owners.

Calshot Castle has stood guard to the approach to Southampton Waters since 1540 when it was built by Henry VII as part of his coastal defences along the south coast of England at a time when invasion by France and Spain was looming.

Rochester Castle sitting majestically alongside the river Medway was one of the first castles in England to be built entirely from stone in the 11th century by Gundolf, Bishop of Rochester who was also responsible for the construction of the Tower of London.

Ludlow Castle over looking the scenic River Teme in the beautiful Shropshire countryside was first mentioned in records dating back to 1138.

Kenilworth Castle was most probably built as a “motte and bailey” castle which was later fortified towards the end of the 12th century.

Richmond Castle , constructed in 1071, is situated above the spectacular river Swale in North Yorkshire.

Carlisle Castle was first built by William II of England, the son of William the Conqueror who invaded England in 1066.

After witnessing the sinking of his flagship ‘Mary Rose’, Henry VIII wasted little time in ordering the building of Yarmouth Castle as one in a line of the many fortifications along the south and east coasts to ward of further advances by the French.

Lincoln Castle was begun in 1068 by William the Conqueror, on top of an old hill fort site used by the Romans

Bodiam Castle was constructed in 1385 by Sir Edward Dalyngrigge (a veteran of the wars with France) after receiving permission from the king.

Scotney Castle situated in the picturesque countryside of Tunbridge Wells, was built by Roger Ashburnham in the valley of the River Bewl during the period 1378-80

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