Part 4: Castles

Britain has more Medieval castles than any other country. The highest concentration of large castles is in Wales. Most of those were built by King Edward I in 1283-1300 to secure the English occupation.

Colby Castle, Wales.

Harlech Castle, c. 1283-1286, Wales.

Of these castles, Harlech was the first, Beaumaris is considered the most advanced from the engineering point of view, and Caernarfon is the most impressive.

Beaumaris Castle, c. 1295-1300, Wales.

Caernarfon Castle, c. 1288-1297, Wales.

Craigynos Castle, c. 1460, Craig-y-nos, Wales.

Countless smaller castles are scattered in the hills, dales, and along the coastlines of Wales and Scotland.

Menzies Castle, c. 1542, Aberfeldy, Scotland.

Urquhart Castle, c. 1155, Loch Ness, Scotland.

Castle chapel, c. 1389, Stirling, Scotland.

Larger castles in Scotland have mostly been destroyed over the centuries. Robert the Bruce Monument, Stirling Castle. The ones in Stirling and Edinburgh are the lucky exceptions.

View of William Wallace monument from Stirling Castle.

View of William Wallace monument from Stirling Castle.

Edinburgh Castle, c. 1371-1750, Scotland.

Ceiling of the main hall, Stirling Castle.

Stirling Castle has survived despite being the site of eight great battles.

Stirling Castle.

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland.

Clifford's Tower, c. 1200, and introduced Canada geese (Branta canadensis), York, England.

England hasn't been occupied by an enemy for a long time, so its castles are better preserved. There are, of course, exceptions: only one tower is left of York Castle (left); many castles have been turned into country estates and palaces.

Leeds Castle, c. 1119, Kent, England. It has been converted into a palace by Henry VIII in the 1540-s.

Leeds Castle.

Leeds Castle.

The oldest and the most impressive castle in England is Dover Castle (right).

Dover Castle, c. 1000-1250, Dover, England.

Windsor Castle, c. 1070-1878, Windsor, England.

Albert Memorial Chapel, c. 1240, Windsor Castle.

Windsor is the world's largest and oldest occupied fortress. St. George Chapel, c. 1475, Windsor Castle. It's been the site of royal residence since AD 834.

St. George Chapel, c. 1475, Windsor Castle.

Inner courtyard, Windsor Castle.

Detail, Windsor Castle.

Warwick Castle, c. 1320-1380, Warwick, England.

If you only have time to visit one English castle, try the perfectly preserved Warwick.

View of St. Mary's Church, c. 1123, from Warwick Castle.

The interiors of Warwick Castle mostly date back to 17th-19th centuries.

Warwick Castle.

Castles entrance tickets weren't cheap, so we always tried to sneak in for free. Often it worked. In Warwick it didn't.

Stockade, Warwick.

Wax inhabitants, Warwick Castle.

Wax inhabitants, Warwick Castle.

Warwick belongs to Tussauds, so it is full of wax figures of Medieval and 19th century residents.

Interior, Warwick.

The Tower of London, c. 1078-1285, England.

The Tower of London.

The most visited castle is the Tower of London. For centuries, it served as the royal residence, treasury, mint, prison and arsenal. But originally it was founded by William the Conqueror as a fort protecting the great city upstream.

Gates, the Tower of London.

The Tower of London.

Part 5: London

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