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Castle Street, Dundee, early one summer's morning. Castle Street was named after the medieval castle that was present on the site of the nearby St Paul's Cathedral. Crypts from the castle were found during building work. In the background is the River Tay and beyond that, Fife.
Inverness from the Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Nis, meaning "Mouth of the River Ness") is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarde
d as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland. Inverness lies near two important battle sites: the 11th century battle of BlĂ r nam Fèinne against Norway which took place on The Aird and the 18th century Battle of Culloden which took place on Culloden Moor It is the northernmost city in the United Kingdom and lies within the Great Glen (Gleann Mòr) at its north-eastern extremity where the River Ness enters the Moray Firth. At the latest, a settlement was established by the 6th century with the first royal charter being granted by DabĂd mac MaĂl Choluim (King David I) in the 12th century. The Gaelic king Mac Bethad Mac Findláich (MacBeth) whose 11th Century murder of King Duncan was immortalised in Shakespeare's play Macbeth, held a castle within the city where he ruled as Mormaer of Moray and Ross.
Kynžvart Castle is surrounded by a large historical park. In the first half of the 19th century the castle was rebuilt by the Austrian Chancellor, Prince Klemens von Metternich (1773–1859). It was the location for many discussions and negotiations of European diplomacy.
The south-east angle of the 12th century part of the castle, with the 16th century Macmillan's Tower off to the right and Loch Sween in the distance. The 12th century walls appear to have been heightened at some stage.
Having, in their view, been hard done by, by the Scottish Crown, the MacSweens chose to side with the English during the Wars of Independence, in return for a promise that the lands taken by the Stewarts would be returned to them. This led to their landing on the nearby shore and successfully besieging the castle. The recapture of Castle Sween by the MacSweens was however only temporary. It was subsequently besieged and captured by Robert the Bruce, and following the war, Bruce granted the former MacSween lands, including Castle Sween, to his loyal supporter Angus Ă“g of Islay, father of John MacDonald of Islay, Lord of the Isles.
Castle Gayer is a substantial Victorian property, thought to have been built in the early 1870s. This was an exciting period when architects broke free from the strict disciplines and symmetry imposed by the Georgians and explored elaborate and more decorative designs; Castle Gayer is no exception. It is thought to have been built on the site of a medieval castle for a Robert Glasson Michell, merchant, his wife Elizabeth and their four sons, one of whom, William Gayer Michell, became captain of the ship Trekieve. Subsequently the house was owned by the St Aubyn family who live on St Michael's Mount and was sold into private hands when the Mount and surrounds were gifted to the National Trust.
In the last 3 years the house has been substantially renovated and during my recent visit it looks like the builders have nearly finished. To the right you can see the "castle" folly and the harbour below (Top Tieb) is where the boats for St Michael's Mount launch at high tide.
Corfe Castle has had a long and eventful history. Positioned strategically in the gap between the Purbeck hills, it was perfect for defending inland Dorset against attack from the sea. The surrounding agricultural lands and forests were rich, and could be used to provide food and resources for the Castle. Not surprisingly, therefore, Corfe Castle was a royal fortress for over 600 years. The 1000 year old ruined castle, is an iconic survivor of the English Civil War.
This lovely village is about 30 miles from the New Forest.
Lindisfarne Castle is a 16th-century castle located on Holy Island, near Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland, England, much altered by Sir Edwin Lutyens in 1901. The island is accessible from the mainland at low tide by means of a causeway.
The castle is located in what was once the very volatile border area between England and Scotland. Not only did the English and Scots fight, but the area was frequently attacked by Vikings. The castle was built in 1550, around the time that Lindisfarne Priory went out of use, and stones from the priory were used as building material. It is very small by the usual standards, and was more of a fort. The castle sits on the highest point of the island, a whinstone hill called Beblowe.
Lindisfarne's position in the North Sea made it vulnerable to attack from Scots and Norsemen, and by Tudor times it was clear there was a need for a stronger fortification, although obviously, by this time, the Norsemen were no longer a danger. This resulted in the creation of the fort on Beblowe Crag between 1570 and 1572 which forms the basis of the present castle.
After Henry VIII suppressed the priory, his troops used the remains as a naval store. In 1542 Henry VIII ordered the Earl of Rutland to fortify the site against possible Scottish invasion. By December 1547, Ralph Cleisbye, Captain of the fort, had guns including; a wheel mounted demi-culverin; 2 brass sakers; a falcon; and another fixed demi-culverin. However, Beblowe Crag itself was not fortified until 1549 and Sir Richard Lee saw only a decayed platform and turf rampart there in 1565. Elizabeth I then had work carried out on the fort, strengthening it and providing gun platforms for the new developments in artillery technology. These works in 1570 and 1571 cost ÂŁ1191. When James I came to power in England, he combined the Scottish and English thrones, and the need for the castle declined. At this time the castle was still garrisoned from Berwick and protected the small Lindisfarne Harbour.
In the eighteenth century the castle was occupied briefly by Jacobite rebels, but was quickly recaptured by soldiers from Berwick who imprisoned the rebels; they dug their way out and hid for nine days close to nearby Bamburgh Castle before making good their escape.
In later years the castle was used as a coastguard look-out and became something of a tourist attraction. Charles Rennie Mackintosh made a sketch of the old fort in 1901.
In 1901, it became the property of Edward Hudson, a publishing magnate and the owner of Country Life magazine. He had it refurbished in the Arts and Crafts style by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is said that Hudson and the architect came across the building while touring Northumberland and climbed over the wall to explore inside.
The walled garden, which had originally been the garrison's vegetable plot, was designed by Lutyens' long-time friend and collaborator, Gertrude Jekyll between 1906 and 1912. It is some distance away from the castle itself. Between 2002 and 2006 it was restored to Jekyll's original planting plan which is now held in the Reef Collection at the University of California, Berkeley. The castle, garden and nearby lime kilns have been in the care of the National Trust since 1944 and are open to visitors.
Lutyens used upturned disused boats (herring busses) as sheds. In 2005, two of the boats were destroyed by arson. They were replaced in 2006 and the third boat has now been renovated by the National Trust. The replacement of the two burned boats by two new boat sheds features on a new DVD Diary of an Island. This shows a fishing boat from Leith being cut in half in a boatyard in Eyemouth and the two "sheds" being transported to the island and lifted into place by crane.
The Spanish architect Enric Miralles used Lutyens' upturned herring busses as an inspiration for his design of the Scottish Parliament Building in Edinburgh.
Craigdarroch Castle in Victoria, British Columbia, is a historic, Victorian-era Scottish Baronial mansion. The "bonanza castle" was designated a National Historic Site of Canada due to its landmark status in Victoria.
Craigdarroch Castle has 39 rooms and over 25,000 square feet (2,300 m2). It was constructed in the late 1800s as a family residence for the wealthy coal baron Robert Dunsmuir and his wife Joan. Robert died in April 1889, 17 months before construction on the castle was completed. His sons Alexander and James took over the role of finishing the castle after his death.
Craigdarroch Castle is believed to have cost as much as $500,000 when it was built, and included granite from British Columbia, tile from San Francisco, and an oak staircase prefabricated in Chicago.[3] When originally constructed Craigdarroch stood in grounds comprising 28 acres (110,000 m2) of formal gardens in Victoria's Rockland neighbourhood.
The castle at Shanghai Disneyland, inspired by the castles at other Disney parks and their biggest castle in the world. The first to contain a full ride inside it. Weather at Shanghai Disneyland was awful during our visit so when I saw this sun glance during sunset and took the picture without even looking at my settings. F1.2 for this shot is terrible, but also a proof of just how sharp this Fuji lens really is.
Urquhart Castle sits beside Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland. The castle is 21 kilometres (13 mi) south-west of Inverness and 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of the village of Drumnadrochit.
The present ruins date from the 13th to the 16th centuries, though built on the site of an early medieval fortification. Founded in the 13th century, Urquhart played a role in the Wars of Scottish Independence in the 14th century. It was subsequently held as a royal castle, and was raided on several occasions by the MacDonald Earls of Ross. The castle was granted to the Clan Grant in 1509, though conflict with the MacDonalds continued. Despite a series of further raids the castle was strengthened, only to be largely abandoned by the middle of the 17th century. Urquhart was partially destroyed in 1692 to prevent its use by Jacobite forces, and subsequently decayed.
Rait Castle is a ruined hall-house castle dating from the thirteenth century, situated just south of Nairn near Inverness, Scotland .
The castle was originally a property of the Cumming ( Comyn ) family who were also known by the name of de Rait . Sir Alexander Rait killed the third Thane of Cawdor ( chief of Clan Calder ), and then fled south where he married the heiress of Hallgreen . The castle later passed from the Clan Cumming ( Comyn ) to the Clan Mackintosh and then to the Clan Campbell of Cawdor.
In 1442, when the castle passed to the Mackintoshes from the Clan Cumming ( Clan Comyn ) a feast was held at the castle between the two families which ended in the slaughter of most of the Comyns. The laird blamed his daughter who he chased around the castle . She climbed out of a window but he chopped off her hands and she fell to her death. The castle is said to be haunted by her ghost, with no hands.
Looking west from the chancel down the aisled nave. Begun in early 13c, or earlier, with an aisleless building, the chancel and a south aisle being added to the nave afterwards with the north aisle following mid 13c. Towards the end of the same century the south aisle was rebuilt, the east end forming a chantry chapel; The eastern part of the north aisle was rebuilt c 1320, and the rebuilding of the whole aisle was completed within the next 20 years. The nave was heightened with clerestory windows and the roof flattened in the late 15c
Picture with thanks - copyright Mike Berrell 2011 www.churches-uk-ireland.org/towns/c/castle_donington.html - Church of St Edward, King and Martyr, Castle Donington Leicestershire
Powis Castle, a medieval fortress and grand country house located near Welshpool, Wales.
Originally built around 1200 as a Welsh fortress, it later became a country house under the Herbert family's ownership from the 1570s.
It is known for its world-famous terraced gardens, developed in the 1680s, and its collection of art and historical objects from Europe, India, and East Asia.
Today, Powis Castle is managed by the National Trust and is a major attraction in Wales, offering visitors the chance to explore its interiors and gardens.
The castle was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1952 by George Herbert, 4th Earl of Powis, after the tragic loss of his direct heirs.
Carrick Castle has long been believed to sit on the site of a former Royal hunting lodge, used by the Kings of Scots. The castle that replaced the hunting lodge was built in the 1400s (15th century). Various websites give earlier dates than this - which would appear to be wrong! In general, all major Scottish castles are found in records pertaining to the period of the wars with England in the 14th century and Carrick does not appear in these records, which suggests that whatever building was here prior to 1368, was of little or no military significance.
I have found two entirely different versions of the early history of the castle. Nigel Tranter states that it was the Lamonts, who originally owned much of the Cowal peninsula (until the Campbells took it off them by either fair means or foul) and who built this castle. In this instance he tells us, the Campells appear to have obtained Carrick by fair means (presumably by marriage) in the early 16th century, when it passed to the Campbells of Ardkinglas. The Campbells were certainly resident here by 1511, when Robert Campbell of Carrick is recorded as a witness to a grant made by his chief, Archibald Earl of Argyll.
Tranter is not entirely correct in saying that ownership passed to the Campbells of Ardkinglas. The Earl of Argyll became the owner and the Campbells of Ardkinglas became the Hereditary Captains of the castle.
The second version, by a no less reputable source - namely the team of archaeologists that excavated the site in the 1990s, is that the castle was indeed built in the late 14th century, but by the Campbells of Loch Awe themselves, later the Earls of Argyll.
In my view, Tranter for once is probably wrong and that while the Lamonts may once have owned or held the lands of Carrick, they no longer did when the castle was built. What is more, there is evidence to suggest that it was not the Lamonts that the Campbells obtained Carrick from anyway, but the Stewarts.
The Stewart powerbase until the mid 14th century was based around Bute, Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Cowal, but when King David Bruce died childless in 1371 and John Stewart changed his name to Robert and became King Robert II (by virtue of his mother being King Robert Bruce's daughter Marjorie), the Stewarts at once had far more important matters to attend to than the mountains and bogs of Argyll. The Campbell rise to prominence was greatly aided by the Stewart's elevation to the crown. The Stewarts relied heavily on the Campbells and other local supporters to maintain their authority in their former territories, so it would seem likely that the Stewarts may have granted Cowal to the Campbells.
Either way, in 1532, Duncan Campbell is recorded as Captain of Carrick, and 1562 John Campbell was likewise. In 1685, John Campbell of Carrick was summoned to Edinburgh on account of the young Earl of Argyll's invasion of that year. In the laird's absence, his great lands were harried by the opposition, and it is reported that they took away 119 horses, 330 cattle, and 188 sheep. In 1715, Sir John Campbell of Carrick was one of the signatories to 'The Resolve', at Inverary, which 'resolved' to defend King George's person and government from the Jacobites. The property later passed to the Murrays, Earls of Dunmore.
Hohenbaden Castle high above Baden-Baden on the western slopes of the rocky mountain Battert was in the middle ages seat of the Margrave of Baden.
They named themselves after the castle, which thus became the namesake of Baden.
Construction of the upper castle by Markgraf Hermann II (1074-1130) was adopted in the 1100s.
Until 1453 the castle was extended and became the representative center of the marquisate.
1599 it was destroyed by fire.
Arundel Castle in West Sussex England. This Norman castle dates back to 1067 and is the seat of the Duke of Norfolk.
Hovenweep Castle, Hovenweep National Monument
The Hovenweep Castle was probably Hovenweep’s largest group of ruins. Standing firmly at the very rim of the canyon, it seemed as if it was proudly resisting the eroding power of the River of history. Time might have elapsed relentlessly but the castle remained, perhaps for much longer into the future.
Dolbadarn Castle, Llanberis, North Wales
- Built in the early 13th century by the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great.
Canos EOS 550d
Sigma 10-20mm
20secs @ F14
View from inside the castle - as can be seen more in this photograph, it is made of wood and plaster and was designed in this manner to enhance the owners status and to look impressive.
For more info on the gatehouse and the castle itself, see link on previous photo.
Wray is not a real castle but a private house built in in the Gothic Revival Style in 1840. It was built for Dr James Dawson, a retired Liverpool surgeon, and is now owned by the National Trust. The house was built using his wife’s inheritance from a gin fortune. Apparently she took one look at the house when it was finished, and refused to live in it.
Wray Castle is a very elaborate building. James Dawson could essentially build whatever he wanted, from a portcullis to turrets which don’t have any access to them, as well as arrow slits and even mock ruins in the grounds.
It was designed by John Jackson Lightfoot who was a trained accountant with an interest in architecture. It was his first and only design as he sadly drank himself to death before it was finished. H.P. Horner, a more experienced architect stepped in to complete the design. So what you see is a combination of Lightfoot’s playful fantasy design and Horner’s practical approach.
After Dr Dawson’s death in 1875, when he was 96, the estate was inherited by his young nephew, Preston Rawnsley. In 1877 Preston’s cousin, Hardwicke Rawnsley, took up the appointment of vicar of Wray Church (next to the Castle and built at the same time by Dr Dawson).
The castle has been in the care of the National Trust since 1929, when it was given to the trust by Sir Noton Barclay to celebrate his year of office as Lord Mayor of Manchester.
Burgruine Neideck, das Wahrzeichen der Fränkischen Schweiz
The ruins of Neideck Castle, the Franconian Switzerland landmark.
Built in the 14th century, this castle is part of the Harewood estate but resides outside the offical estate walls. It is a favourite destination whatever the weather but on this occasion it was a lovely spring day.
Portchester Castle is a Norman Baronial Castle built within a Roman Fort. The Romans built the fort here between 285AD and 290AD
Karlštejn Castle (Czech: Karlštejn; German: Burg Karlstein) is a large Gothic castle founded 1348 AD by Charles IV, Holy Roman Emperor-elect and King of Bohemia. The castle served as a place for safekeeping the Imperial Regalia as well as the Bohemian/Czech crown jewels, holy relics, and other royal treasures. Located about 30 km southwest of Prague above the village of the same name, it is one of the most famous and most frequently visited castles in the Czech Republic.
Built for L13 contest in BrickPirate French board "MotorBack in Time"
The challenge was to build a bike inspired by 70808 but in Castle universe.
Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland, 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) south of Dumfries, on the edge of the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve. Caerlaverock was a stronghold of the Maxwell family from the 13th century until the 17th century
Langley Castle in the Northumbrian valley of the South Tyne near Hayden Bridge was built in 1350 by Sir Thomas de Lucy. The de Lucy’s lived in a Manor house on an a substantial estate. In times of danger they made use of the nearby Staward Pele Tower. A raid by the scots in 1346, which resulted in the destruction of the Manor house, convinced Sir Thomas that a stronghold capable of defence in the event of Scots raids or other dangers in the border country was required. Sir Thomas died shortly after the Castle was finished and it passed by marriage first to the Umfravilles of Prudhoe then to the Percy family and the 1st Earl of Northumberland. The Percy’s quarreled with King Henry 1V but the Castle was gutted before it was confiscated by the King. In 1415 but Henry V restored the various properties to the Percy family. With the onset of the Wars of the Roses the 2nd and 3rd Earls of Northumberland supported the Lancastrian cause. The Yorkist King Edward 1V prevailed and the Percy properties were confiscated again but they were reinstated in 1469. In 1542 the Castle was described as ruined but as it was in a strategic position for defence against Scots raids and Reivers it was restored in 1550. The Crown returned the Percy estates in 1551 but the castle was again confiscated by Elizabeth 1st in 1558 after the 6th Earl of Northumberland took part in the Rising of the North. In 1622 the estate, including the Castle was bought by Sir Edward Radcliffe who later sided with the Royalists in the Civil War and the Castle was impounded later recovered in 16871. It passed to the Earls of Derwentwater who became involved in the Jacobite Rebellions and the Castle reverted to the Crown. The estate was let out and the Castle was left. In 1860 some restoration works was undertaken. In 1902 the Castle was purchased by John Bates who began major restoration continued after 1985 by Professor Stuart Madnick. The Castle has been restored sympathetically reflecting its history and is now an hotel.
Carrickfergus Castle last night. My home town where I grew up. Supposed to be 3°C but felt like -3°C. Still though, what a spot!
​Highcliffe Castle has been described as arguably the most important surviving house of the Romantic and Picturesque style of architecture, which flourished at the end of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century. Its significance is recognised nationally by its Grade 1 status on the Statutory List of Buildings of Special Architectural and Historical Interest.
There is an international importance, too. For a large amount of medieval French masonry, shipped across the Channel, was used in its construction. It is this Norman and Renaissance carved stone, along with the Castle’s Gothic revival features and ancient stained glass, that make it appear older than it is.
Built mainly between 1831 and 1836, the Castle is the realisation of one man’s fantasy. He was Lord Stuart de Rothesay, a distinguished diplomat who had known and loved the cliff-top site overlooking Christchurch Bay since he was a boy.
The magnificent building, once lavishly furnished in the 18th century French style remained a family home until the 1950s. In the late 1960s two fires rendered the building derelict and in 1977, to prevent futher deterioration, Christchurch Borough Council purchased it. More information can be found at our Wikipedia page.
Today the Castle’s renovated exterior is testimony of the remarkable skills of craftsmen and women who carried out a huge repair and conservation programme in the 1990s, jointly funded by Christchurch Borough Council, English Heritage and with a £2.65 million grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. In 2008 a further £1.2 Million programme of repair was completed to enable public access to the State Dining Room, Butler's Pantry and East Tower.
The Castle is now a popular tourist attraction
Castle Mountain is 2599 m. The peak at the front is called Eisenhower Peak after 34th president of the U.S. In the cirque on the right of the peak is Rockbound Lake, a popular hike.
Castle Rock, Leeuwin-Naturaliste National Park, South Western Australia
I spent half an hour on this beach just taking shots to capture the right wave movement. The clouds in the sky added a lovely touch to the intense blue sky. Some beaches are at their best for photography during the day I reckon!
Baconsthorpe Castle was established by the Heydon family in the 15th. century. The village of Baconsthorpe lays between Holt and Norwich, and was named after the local Bacon family. The village had two manor houses, the first in the main village and the other, called Wood Hall, on the outskirts. William Baxton had come from a relatively humble background, but by around 1400 he had bought the Bacon family's lands in the area, including half of the Wood Hall estate. William probably began the construction of the castle, then termed Baconsthorpe Hall, starting to construct the moated platform and the inner gatehouse around 1460.
William's son, John Heydon I, continued to develop the property and acquire more land around the area, changing his family name in the process to disguise his lower social origin. John was an ambitious lawyer, and came to be hated and feared across the region as his power increased. By the time of his death in 1479, the inner gatehouse was completed and work on the courtyard house begun, creating the basis of a tall, fortified house. The castle demonstrated John's political aspirations, and was intended to impress his peers in the region.
Sir Henry Heydon continued his father's work on the castle. Henry married into London money and became a wealthy sheep farmer, being knighted in 1485. He completed the castle's main house, service court and the north-east tower. In the process, perhaps being less worried than his father about any attack on his property, he altered the character of Baconthorpe to produce an "upmarket, courtyard house".
Over the course of the 16th. century, the Heydon's became one of the leading families in Norfolk, marrying well, practising law and enjoying the profits from their sheep and the wool trade, their products were sold in England and also exported to the Netherlands.
Sir John Heydon II inherited Baconsthorpe in 1504 but primarily lived at Saxlingham. After a pause in construction, he finished the construction of Baconsthorpe's north court and turned the east range of the castle into a wool factory before his death in 1550.
His son, Sir Christopher I, then built the outer gatehouse and barn around 1560, and in 1561 created a 300 acre deer park alongside the castle. The Heydon's lived in lavish style, Sir Christopher maintaining a household of 80 servants and a coach with two horses.
The castle was inherited by Sir William Heydon II in 1579, but by now the wool trade was in decline and the family was building up debts. Parts of the estate were sold and Baconthorpe was mortgaged.
William died in 1593 and his son Christopher II inherited Baconsthorpe. Christopher renovated the inner gatehouse and created a large mere and a formal garden around the south-east side of the castle, although he mainly resided at Saxlingham. Christopher had little interest in business, preferring to engage in military pursuits and to study astrology and by 1601 he had debts of ÂŁ16,000. His financial situation did not improve and first Baconsthorpe, and then his other estates had to be mortgaged.
Baconsthorpe passed to Christopher's eldest son Sir William in 1623, but he died four years later, leaving Baconthorpe to his younger brother, Sir John III, who became the Lieutenant General of the Ordnance and, when civil war broke out in 1642, he fought on the side of King Charles I. In response, Parliament seized his lands and he was declared delinquent in 1646. He bought his estates back, but began to demolish Baconsthorpe around 1650 in order to sell off the stonework. John died in debt in 1653, leaving the castle to his son, Charles Heydon, who continued to dispose of the stone. Charles' brother, William Heydon III, eventually sold the estate.
In 1940, the castle's owner, the politician Sir Charles Mott-Radclyffe, placed the site into the care of the Ministry of Public Works. Now in the 21st. century, Baconsthorpe Castle is managed by English Heritage and protected under UK law as a Grade I and Grade II listed building, and as a scheduled monument.