Castles

One of the many appeals to tourists who visit Britain is the abundance of beautiful and interesting old buildings scattered around the country. Not least of these are the impressive castles, some still inhabited and some ruined, which each come with their own fascinating stories and place in history.

The building of castles as we know them today began with the arrival of the Normans in the eleventh century. The fortified buildings started popping up all around the country and were used as bases from which the new arrivals could subjugate the populace. As time went on, castles were used as more than just seats of rule and became the homes of rich and noble families. Bigger buildings with more comfortable rooms were dwellings for large households, including servants and family members. And over the centuries, castles were also used in times of war.

Today there are still some, of course, which are used as homes, such as the royal residence at Windsor Castle. However, many, including a large number that stand in ruins, now serve as wonderful tourist attractions, such as Warkworth Castle, Northumberland, in today’s picture.

Fun fact: England alone (never mind the rest of the UK) is home to around 1,500 castle sites, so wherever you go in the country, you’ll nearly always be in reach of a castle to visit.

Thanks to English Heritage and famouscastles.net for some of the information in this post.