Breathtaking Pictures Of Warwick Castle

With its magnificent medieval Towers and Ramparts, Warwick Castle offers visitors over 1000 years of English history. The chilling dungeon contrasts with the elegant splendour of the State Rooms, baronial Great Hall and the Victorian 'Royal Weekend Party 1898'. Visitors can experience the sights and sounds of mediaeval life in the 'Kingmaker' exhibition. All set in 60 acres of English grounds and gardens.


Legend has it that the first fortification of significance on the grounds of Warwick Castle was erected by Ethelfleda, daughter of king Alfred the Great, in the year 914. This almost certainly replaced older wooden fortifications which had proven ineffective against marauding Danes who sacked the town during the reign of her father. This fortification was part of a network built to protect the Kingdom of Wessex.


The remains of this ancient fortification can still be seen on Ethelfleda's Mound, a mound of earth at the southern end of the castle's courtyard. As intriguing as this early fortification is, the majority of the remains date from the period of Norman rule.


After the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century, William the Conqueror appointed Henry de Newburgh as Earl of Warwick. During this time, a Norman motte-and-bailey fort was erected.


After passing through the hands of 20 more Earls (and three more creations of the title), Warwick Castle has now become a member of the Treasure Houses of England, a heritage consortium founded in the early 1970s by ten of the foremost stately homes in England still in private ownership, with the aim of marketing and promoting themselves as tourist venues. In 1978, Warwick Castle was sold to the Tussaudos Group, the company that owns Madame Tussaud's in London, who performed extensive restorations to the castle and opened its gates to the eager public.