December 31, 2013/ altair / European Vacations

The Premier Tourist Attractions of England – Medieval Warwick Castle

With its history stretched back almost 1,100 years, the former medieval fortress Warwick castle today is one of the premier tourist attractions of England. It is now run by Madame Tussauds (of London Waxworks Museum fame), with effective reconstructions of life in the castle through the centuries. Don’t forget to visit the haunted tower and the dungeon!

Every century except the 21st Warwick castle has seen major building work or adaptations at the castle. Now Warwick Castle is protected against unauthorized change as a Scheduled Ancient Monument, in recognition of its status as a “nationally important archaeological site”.

History

Over its 950 years of history Warwick Castle has been owned by 36 different individuals, plus four periods as crown property under seven different monarchs. It was the family seat of three separate creations of the Earls of Warwick, and has been a family home for members of the Beaumont, Beauchamp, Neville, Plantagenet, Dudley and Greville. The first creation of the Earldom specifically included the right of inheritance through the female line, so the castle three times had a woman (or girl) as the owner. Eleven of the owners were under 20 when they inherited, including a girl aged two and a boy aged three. At least three owners died in battle, two were executed and one murdered.

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. After the Norman conquest of England, William the Conqueror built a castle at Warwick in 1068 to maintain control of the Midlands as he advanced northwards. 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.

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 recognizable examples of 14th century military architecture.

In the 17th century the grounds were turned into a garden. The castle’s defences were enhanced in the 1640s to prepare the castle for action in the English Civil War. Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, was a Parliamentarian, and Royalist forces laid siege to the castle. Warwick Castle withstood the siege and was later used to hold prisoners taken by the Parliamentarians.

In 1978, the Tussauds Group purchased Warwick Castle and opened it as a tourist attraction. It is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building.

The Warwick Castle Attractions:

• “The Royal Weekend Party” attraction is opened within the Castle since 1982, when the expertise of the Tussaud’s Studios was used, introducing wax portraits into the Castle for the first time.
• “The Victorian Rose Garden” is opened by HRH The Princess of Wales in 1986 having been restored back to its original design.
• The Kingmaker attraction – the largest, multi-million pound, investment in the medieval under-croft
• “Death or Glory”, the Armoury attraction – To mark the millennium, The Armoury is refurbished and the ‘Death or Glory’ attraction opens in February 2000, telling the stories of battles over the centuries, as well as hosting events including Jousting Knights and Christmas Festivals.
• “Flight of the Eagles‘” – a bird show, featuring bald eagles, vultures, and sea eagles Jousting Nights
• “The Trebuchet Show” – The owners have spent £20million on restoration.
• “The Sword in the Stone Show”
• “The Castle Dungeon” – a live actor experience
• “Warwick Ghosts Alive” – a live-action show telling the story of Fulke Greville’s murder. Nearly 400 years after his brutal murder, Sir Fulke Greville is back… Warwick Castle’s famously haunted Ghost Tower gets a terrifying fear infusion with Warwick Ghosts – Alive, a spooky live action experience that quite literally brings the story of one of the Castle’s most famous ghosts to life, nearly 400 years after his murder. Using a mix of live actors and atmospheric sound, visual and light effects the story of Sir Fulke Greville’s tragic murder is recreated
• Victorian Mill – The Castle Mill & Engine House opened following extensive renovation
• The Mill Garden is a private garden adjacent to Warwick Castle measuring half an acre open to the public and situated on the bank of the River Avon. It is owned by Julia Measures, whose family has owned the gardens since 1938 and whose father Arthur worked on it for 60 years. Its informal planting to highlight picturesque river views (and views of Warwick Castle in which shadow it stands) has made this garden renowned among the United Kingdom’s garden enthusiasts. The garden once stood by the bridge carried most of the traffic to Warwick over the River Avon but the bridge now lies in ruins. It is not uncommon to see swans nesting near the garden
• The collection of armory on display at Warwick Castle is regarded as second only to that of the Tower of London. In June 2005, Warwick Castle became home to one of the world’s largest working siege engines. The trebuchet at Warwick Castle is the largest catapult in the world. It is operated twice daily. The trebuchet is 18m (59ft) tall, made from over 300 pieces of oak and weighs 22 tones. The machine takes eight men half an hour to load and release. It is designed to be capable of hurling projectiles distances of up to 300m (980ft) and as high as 25m (82ft) and can throw up to 150kg (330lb) of ammunition at a time.

Ghost Stories

Warwick Castle is the subject of many ghost stories. One such instance is that of Fulke Greville who is said to haunt the Watergate Tower despite being murdered in Holborn. The castle’s reputation for being haunted is used as a tourist attraction.

Tourism

People had been visiting the castle since the end of the 17th century. In 1858 Queen Victoria visited the 4th earl with great local celebrations. However by 1885 the earl closed the castle to visitors, causing consternation in the town. Nowadays it is getting over half a million visitors a year.

Admissions

Open daily October-March 10am-5pm, April-September 10am-6pm, closed Christmas Day only, last admission 1/2 hr before closing; complicated seasonal pricing plan: adults £12.95 – £16.95, child £7.95 – £8.95, family £34 – £45; senior and student concessions available; car parking £2.50 – £5.00.

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