History is full of stories – and at Warwick Castle, in the heart of England, there are 1,100 years’ worth of stories. First built in 914 A.D. as an Anglo-Saxon fort, this is one of the best-preserved and most popular castles in Britain.
Unlike many ancient monuments, Warwick Castle is not a ruin. It is still possible to walk the ramparts and to climb the towers to look out across the roofs of the town, out towards fields, countryside, and the waters of the River Avon.
warwick the kingmaker The size and splendour of the great hall symbolize the power of the families who once lived here. In 1068, the castle was enlarged and strengthened by William the Conqueror as a base for his military forces. It was held for the king by Henry de Beaumont, who became the first Earl of Warwick. Through the centuries, his successors built high stone walls and impressive new towers, rooms and facilities .
The most important of these owners was Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick, known as the “Kingmaker.” In the 15th century, he influenced the rise and fall of monarchs during the turbulent period of the Wars of the Roses.
Throughout the summer season at Warwick Castle, there’s a chance to step back in time. Over on River Island, knights in armour ride heavy horses, lances in hand, as they battle each other in jousts . Standing here, too, is a trebuchet , a full-size working replica of a wooden medieval machine that catapults giant fireballs.
ghosts You can get a taste of old England by camping in the castle’s woodlands , or you can dine in style by hiring the Great Hall and State Rooms where “Daisy” Greville, Countess of Warwick, held her famous parties at the end of the 19th century. But if you stay the night, be warned: Warwick Castle is reputed to be one of the most haunted places in Britain…
If you go... Warwick is located on the banks of the River Avon, 18 kilometres south of Coventry and a 90-minute rail journey from London.
www.warwick-castle.com
(PLAY THE AUDIO) INTERVIEW: my darling daisy Warwick Castle in the English Midlands is over a thousand years old. But, as Melissa Paniccia, Head of Historical Interpretations explains, it’s still in great condition:
Melissa Paniccia (Standard British accent): A lot of castles are kind of left to ruin after Civil War and, you know, just not enough money to look after and keep up these castles which cost millions of pounds to restore and preserve. We’re one of the only castles which is still pretty whole and standing. You know, you can walk on the walls and you can go up the towers and the original staircases and we still have all the grounds that were originally with the castle estate . So I think in that sense we’re one of the only ones which is still as it was hundreds of years ago and it really gives an idea of what it’s like to be in a castle, when you can walk and touch the walls and sort of feel your presence within the castle, which is more difficult if you’re in ruin and you’re having to use your imagination to build those walls up.
diplomacy So how did Warwick Castle avoid becoming a ruin, like other medieval castles?
Melissa Paniccia: During the Civil War we were a Parliamentarian force, but actually what was really clever was the Earls of Warwick changed their allegiance when they needed to, so when the Restoration was going ahead, we switched to Royalist and kind of basically paid our way and politically manoeuvered our earls to stay on the side of whoever was in charge at the time, which meant that we weren’t attacked. I think in our entire history we’ve only ever been attacked maybe three or four times, and none of them successfully. So it’s basically just we were on the right side at the right time and we basically paid to stay standing and we haven’t been touched since then.
mystery woman After the Civil War Warwick Castle gradually evolved into a stately home . One of its most interesting residents was “Daisy” Greville, the Countess of Warwick, who lived from 1861 to 1938. She was the mistress of Queen Victoria’s son, the Prince of Wales, who later become King Edward VII. But he wasn’t her only lover and it is believed that she was the inspiration for a famous English song, “Daisy Bell (Bicycle Built for Two) ”:
Melissa Paniccia: She’s not really explored in popular history. You don’t come across her in textbooks or, you know, if you research history at university, she’s not a character which people are familiar with, but actually her story, ‘cause I’ve been working here, has come to life and you see sort of her social side and her affairs with great people, the Prince of Wales included, but also her political side and, I mean, she was one of the sort of founding members of the Labour Party; you know, you find out that she run against one of the future prime ministers of the UK. And it’s all these stories that you never realize until you actually come here that we’ve got some really fascinating people that are completely sort of ignored as such from wider history. So I think you do grow an allegiance to them and they’ve become part of the family of Warwick Castle.
