Warwick Castle
The Finest Medieval Castle in England
England, 1066. A flotilla of Norman warships bears down on the Sussex coast.
Onboard, William the Conquerer and 8,000 invaders prepare for battle.
Broken down inside these ships an ordered erected upon their arrival is the
decisive weapon of the age.
The Castle.
Born in the storm of the Norman Invasion, Warwick Castle has played a
role in charting England's history since Henry De Newburgh was declared
the 1st Earl of Warwick in 1088. Although the early castle at Warwick was
not much more then a wooden motte and bailey
castle, it evolved through the centuries to become the battling giant we
see today. Most of the features found in the castle today date from the mid-14th century when
Warwick passed to the Beauchamp family.
The picture above was taken from the bridge leading into the town of Warwick.
It shows the castle resting against the River Avon. The river served as an
extra defense against invaders from the south and provided power for the castle's mill. The tower in the middle of the picture is called "Caesar's Tower".
This tower was built on the orders of Thomas Beauchamp and is a masterpiece of 14th
century military architecture. It rises 147 feet from the rivers edge and has three
levels which are topped by a platform with a
crenellated and machicolated parapet. Behind the parapet is another level which contains a guardhouse.
Steps inside the castle leading below Caesar's Tower lead to the dungeon.
The dungeon contains several instruments of torture including a device called the
scavengers daughter from which prisoners would hang inside a steel cage. The dungeon
also contained a sunken chamber called an "oubliette" in french, or "place to be
forgotten". There prisoners would be locked away unable to move, until they finally
died of starvation.
Moving around the castle counter-clockwise from Caesar's Tower brings us to Warwick's
gatehouse and barbican. Invaders trying to attack Warwick via this main entrance met with
a formidable foe. The barbican, which has a drawbridge, reaches out into the dry
ditch to give the gatehouse more protection. Once across the bridge, attackers would
be faced with an iron portcullis and a barrage of crossbow bolts. If invaders made
it past the portcullis, they would find themselves in a narrow covered passage
with arrow slits on either side and murder holes
in the ceiling from which rocks and hot boiling water was dumped onto them. Massive wooden doors then blocked the entrance
to the castle. If somehow those doors were breached, the attacker then found a second iron
portcullis and behind it again more murder holes and a second set of wooden doors.
Moving counter-clockwise from the gatehouse brings us to Warwick's other main
tower, this one called "Guy's Tower". Guy's Tower was also built by the Beauchamp
family in the 14th century. It stands 128 feet and is twelve-sided and has five
levels. The first four levels are made up of a central vaulted sitting room and two
small side rooms. The top level is a guardroom. The windows of the upper level were enlarged so they could
take small hand-held cannons.
The curtain walls leading to Guy's Tower were used by
archers to pick off enemies below from the battlements along the wall. The battlements
consisted of merlons and embrasures.
Traveling down the River Avon going west to east brings us along Warwick's south wall.
The rooms along this wall house the Chapel, Royal Apartments and the Great Hall which was the
heart of the castle.
Inside the Great Hall today is a grand collection of arms and armor collected throughout
the violent history of England. Some pieces belong to such notable people as Lord Oliver Cromwell
and Bonnie Price Charlie.
Today, Warwick Castle is owned by Madame Tussauds and is a major tourist attraction.
The castle is open every day of the year except for Christmas day and has
lots of events throughout the year such has jousting, falconery and archery
displays. The castle grounds also contain a Victorian rose garden, a peacock garden,
and has places to eat and gift shops abound.
Want to know more about Warwick Castle? Visit the
Warwick Castle Home Page.
