The Castle of the Four Warwicks is one of the first in the list of the best!
Warwick Castle. Guy's tower with a gatehouse and a barbican behind it. Photo by Michael Dibb
Here is the glory of Warwick - in blood and dust!
Own alleys, parks and estates
I lost; of all the lands left
A piece only for me, equal in length to the body.
"Henry VI" (part three) (1591), William Shakespeare
Own alleys, parks and estates
I lost; of all the lands left
A piece only for me, equal in length to the body.
"Henry VI" (part three) (1591), William Shakespeare
Ancient castles and fortresses. A series of articles on medieval castles aroused a certain interest among VO readers, and such that it came to a “personal order”. And we should pay tribute to the customer: he really chose an exceptionally interesting castle, both from the point of view of his stories and architecture, and those events to which he and his owners were related. There are ghosts in it (how could it be without them!), And ... a modern (antique) hotel complex for those who want to visit there and spend some time. No wonder it was recognized in all respects as one of the best castles in England. And, of course, VO readers, judging by the epigraph, have already guessed that the topic of today's story “about castles” should be Warwick Castle, although there is another name in the literature - Warwick, perhaps someone more habitual.
Warwick Castle. East side. Canaletto (Giovanni Antonio Canal, 1697–1768), 1752 Birmingham Museum of Art
Warwick Castle is located in the city of Warwick and stands on a sandstone cliff at a bend in the River Avon. The place is very convenient, since the river eroded the bank in this place, so here, on the eastern side, a steep cliff formed - that is, a double and quite reliable protection. Therefore, it is not surprising that the first fortified settlement arose here long before the appearance of the castle. It was an Anglo-Saxon fortress founded in 914.
Warwick Castle. The same artist. Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Legend says that it was built by Æthelflæd, daughter of Alfred the Great. However, although the hill on which it stood is called "Æthelflæd's Hill", this is by no means a trace of the Anglo-Saxons, but the site of a Norman fortification. Although the Anglo-Saxon burg could well stand there. And why shouldn't he be in such a well-fortified place?! William I the Conqueror also fully appreciated its benefits and founded the royal castle "motte and bailey" here in 1068 in order to have a base for further advances to the north. The "motte and bailey" castle usually consisted of a hill, on top of which a donjon tower was built, and a protected courtyard.
Gateway to Warwick Castle. The same artist. Birmingham Museum of Art
William appointed Heinrich Beaumont, a representative of a noble Norman family, as constable of the castle. And already in 1088 he became the first titled Earl of Warwick. But the second earl of Warwick, Roger de Beaumont, one might say, was not lucky. King Henry I did not trust him, and in order to weaken his power, he transferred the nearby lands with Kenilworth Castle to his enemy Geoffroy de Clinton.
Plan of Warwick Castle. Photo warwick-castle.com
During the reign of Henry II (1154-1189), the "motte and bailey" on the "Hill of Æthelfeld" was replaced by a stone castle. And what is most interesting, this castle no longer had a donjon, but was built in such a way that all its buildings were inside the ring of walls.
Warwick Castle. Bird's-eye view. Photo keywordbaskets.com
During the Second Barons' War of 1264-1167, in the same year 1264, the castle was captured by Simon de Montfort, 1267th Earl of Leicester, owner of Kenilworth Castle. It turned out that the fortifications on the northeastern side were insufficient, which the neighboring opponents immediately took advantage of. One hundred years later, namely in 1330, the title and castle passed to the nephew of the former owner, William de Beauchamp, ninth Earl of Warwick. And the Beauchamp family took up the strengthening of the castle for real. It took a long time to build, from 1360 to XNUMX, but a lot was also done: on the northeast side, towers were built at the entrance gate, a barbican (a type of fortification in front of the gate to the castle) and more towers, the towers of Caesar, Guy and the Watergate tower.
Warwick Castle. Main gate with clock tower, Caesar's tower on the left. Photo by Chris Newborg
In the best traditions of the gloomy Middle Ages, a dungeon was arranged under the tower of Caesar. But in a local legend dating back to 1644, for some reason it was renamed the Tower of Poitiers. Either due to the fact that the prisoners taken at Poitiers in 1356 languished in it, or they built it for the ransom received for the prisoners. In any case, the tower was equipped with a full set of defense devices, including “killer holes” (in the ceiling above the passage through the gate, through which the defenders of the castle could aim, and even from above, kill anyone who got there without an invitation). And it was also equipped with two drawbridges and gates with gratings made of wood and iron descending from above. But the facade overlooking the river had minimal protection. Yes, and how was it to get close to him?
Tourist plan of the castle. Photo warwick-castle.com
Warwick Castle. Photo from the park. Photo by Peter K. Burian
Sometime in the early 1480s, King Richard III ordered the construction of two towers in the castle, which were given the names Bear and Clarence. And they should have been armed with guns! But when he died at Bosworth Field in 1485, they weren't ready yet. Each had its own well, as well as stoves for heating. Both of these towers could be considered a fortress within a fortress, in case there was a mutiny in the garrison. They also received cannons, so in 1486 the post of artillery superintendent was established in the castle.
The photo was taken from a tower called Guy's Tower. Photo by Chris Buet
Another photo from Chris Buet's tower
The fact that while it was in the possession of the crown from 1478 to 1547, 500 wagons of stone were brought to repair it, speaks of how costly the repair of the castle was for the crown. Therefore, he was eventually granted to John Dudley, and along with the secondary creation of the title of Earl of Warwick. Dudley inspected his new property and spoke of it as a building incapable of sheltering anyone, “since one side of the castle, together with the tower and the dungeon, is completely destroyed and lies on the ground».
Inner courtyard of Warwick Castle. Photo by Chris Buet
Be that as it may, Dudley did not begin to repair the castle. Apparently, he reasoned that with such a gift the crown decided not so much to make him happy, but to ruin him. So, when Queen Elizabeth I visited the castle in 1566 and again spent four nights in it in 1572, a wooden structure was erected for the queen during her visit.
There are beautiful installations inside the castle. Photo by Chris Buet
And then Ambrose Dudley, 3rd Earl of Warwick, died in 1590... leaving no heirs, and the title of Earl of Warwick hung in the air for the second time. The castle again went to the crown. Therefore, in 1590, its detailed inventory was compiled, from which it was clear that it was still not repaired, and that everything that could be taken away from it (that is, to put it simply, stolen) was stolen, including even the furnishings. chapels. In 1601, a certain Sir Fulk Greville noticed that this castle was so destroyed that nothing was left of it except the name Warwick.
What real castle can do without an exhibition of knightly armor? Yes, none! But in Warwick Castle, knights in armor are also sitting on horses! Photo by Bernard Gagnon
And again the crown had to decide who to give the dilapidated castle to. In 1604, King James I handed it over to Sir Fulk Greville, who at first did not bother with restoration work, but turned it into an ordinary estate. And - rightly so, because the fashion for locks has passed. Many were abandoned and turned into romantic ruins, while others were rebuilt into comfortable residences for the new nobility.
It was then, namely in 1618, that the title of Earl of Warwick was created for the third time. At this point, Fulk Greville had to shell out more than £20,000 (£3 million in 2010 prices) that he had to shell out to renovate the castle. Because what kind of a count would he be if he lives in an ordinary estate?! Moreover, according to the new fashion, magnificent gardens, alleys and forests were arranged around him - after all, the new count had to hunt somewhere. But in the end, the poor fellow was unlucky: on September 1, 1628, his servant Ralph Haywood stabbed him in the back, having learned that he had left nothing in his will. And although Haywood was hanged, Greville's wound proved to be fatal, so a few days later he went after the servant!
Exposition with figures of knights and an exhibition weapons created in the castle is simply beautiful! I would like to visit there. I would have considered everything to the last rivet. Photo by Peter K. Burian
During the Civil War, supporters of the parliament strengthened in the castle, and they were unsuccessfully besieged by the royalists. So the castle had a chance to fight: he fired at the besiegers, and they fired at him. The prisoners were kept in the towers of Guy and Caesar.
A cannon garrison was stationed at the castle from 1643 to 1660. And then ... then the need for it completely disappeared, and the English Council of State decided to transfer it to Francis Greville, 3rd Baron Brooke. He arrived at the castle and saw something absolutely terrible according to those concepts: the interiors were out of fashion, and even were in poor condition. And in 1669-1678, another, for the umpteenth time, reconstruction of the castle began, mainly affecting its interior decoration. They worked for a long time, and on November 4, 1695, the castle was ready to receive King William III within its walls.
Having land, money and fantasy, why not put all this into action? Here Francis Greville, 8th Baron Brooke, did just that and once again decided to rebuild everything around ... in fashion. He, for the fourth time, in 1759, was given the title of Earl of Warwick, so he had to match. Lancelot Brown, the future chief landscape architect of England, was hired. And he changed the whole area beyond recognition, giving it a charming natural character. Brown began working on the land and park in 1749 and completed the work in 1757 at a cost of £2,293 (£260,000 in 2010 prices). The gardens around cover an area of 2,8 km², so you can imagine how much it costs to care for this entire area.
Another highlight that attracts tourists to this castle is the world's largest trebuchet, built in 2005. Its height is 18 meters, and it is made of 300 oak logs and weighs 22 tons. Its rate of fire is one shot per half hour, while its maintenance requires eight people who must run inside two "squirrel wheels" and thus lift a counterweight weighing several tons. Already in 2006, this trebuchet set a record by firing a projectile weighing 13 kg at a distance of 249 m at a speed of 260 km / h. Photo by Peter K. Burian
Greville also invited the Italian painter Antonio Canaletto to paint Warwick Castle in 1747, in the process of being renovated by Brown. Five paintings and three drawings were painted, as a result, the castle became the most frequent building in Britain depicted in his paintings. That is, the work was carried out comprehensively: the terrain changed, Canaletto painted, and the rooms inside were re-planned, sheathed with new wood, in addition, a heated greenhouse was built in the castle. Well, in general, if we talk about money, Warwick Castle turned into a real bottomless barrel into which money flowed in huge quantities. So, only the restoration of the castle in 1872-1875 cost £9,651 (£670,000 in 2010 prices), and such restorations were carried out in it quite often.
And this is the well-preserved effect of Richard de Beauchamp. Located in Warwick Church. Photo by Robin Stevenson
But today, Warwick Castle is protected from changes in construction, as it is included in the Catalog of Ancient Monuments and is an important historical monument. The castle is included in the first category of the List of architectural and historical sights of Great Britain, along with the ramparts, stables, a mill and the lands surrounding it. Well, in 2001, Warwick Castle was named one of the 10 most remarkable British historic houses and monuments, and this list also includes the Tower, Stonehenge and Edinburgh Royal Castle.
Tucked away in Caesar's Tower are two guest rooms fit for kings and queens. So if you want to relax like a king inside this XNUMXth century tower, then know that there are two luxuriously decorated suites, each on a separate floor. They feature original high vaulted ceilings, a sumptuous canopy bed and stunning tapestries on the walls. Modern amenities include a private bathroom and all tea/coffee making facilities. Photo warwick-castle.com
Both rooms are furnished in a royal way, but this is not particularly surprising today. However, ceilings of such height and vaults can only be found today in the castle! Photo warwick-castle.com
So now this castle is a great place to relax. If you want to live in it, there are beautifully decorated apartments. If you want to walk in nature - take a walk, if you want to shoot from a catapult - shoot. In a word, there would be a desire and money, and the time spent there will be remembered by any person forever!
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