View allAll Photos Tagged Castle
Irlanda - Blarney - Castillo
ENGLISH:
Blarney Castle is a medieval stronghold in Blarney, near Cork, Ireland, and the River Martin. Though earlier fortifications were built on the same spot, the current keep was built by the MacCarthy of Muskerry dynasty, a cadet branch of the Kings of Desmond, and dates from 1446. The Blarney Stone is among the machicolations of the castle.
The castle originally dates from before 1200, when a timber house was believed to have been built on the site, although no evidence remains of this. Around 1210 this was replaced by a stone fortification. It was destroyed in 1446, but subsequently rebuilt by Cormac Laidir MacCarthy, Lord of Muscry, who also built castles at Kilcrea and Carrignamuck.
The castle was besieged during the Irish Confederate Wars and was seized in 1646 by Parliamentarian forces under Lord Broghill. However, after the Restoration the castle was restored to Donough MacCarty, who was made 1st Earl of Clancarty.
During the Williamite War in Ireland in the 1690s, the then 4th Earl of Clancarty (also named Donough MacCarty) was captured and his lands (including Blarney Castle) were confiscated by the Williamites.
The castle was sold and changed hands a number of times — Sir Richard Pyne, the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, owned it briefly — before being purchased in the early 1700s by Sir James St John Jefferyes, then governor of Cork City.
Members of the Jefferyes family would later build a mansion near the keep. This house was destroyed by fire, and in 1874 a replacement baronial mansion, known as Blarney House, was built overlooking the nearby lake.
In the mid 19th century the Jefferyes and Colthurst families were joined by marriage, and the Colthurst family still occupy the demesne. In May 2008, the present estate owner, Sir Charles St John Colthurst, Baronet, succeeded in a court action to eject a man who had lived on his land for 44 years. The man's great-grandfather had been the first to occupy the estate cottage.
The castle is now a partial ruin with some accessible rooms and battlements. At the top of the castle lies the Stone of Eloquence, better known as the Blarney Stone. Tourists visiting Blarney Castle may hang upside-down over a sheer drop to kiss the stone, which is said to give the gift of eloquence. There are many versions of the origin of the stone, including a claim that it was the Lia Fáil — a numinous stone upon which Irish kings were crowned.
Surrounding the castle are extensive gardens. There are paths touring the grounds with signs pointing out the various attractions such as several natural rock formations with fanciful names such as Druid's Circle, Witch's Cave and the Wishing Steps. The grounds include a poison garden with a number of poisonous plants, including wolfsbane, mandrake, ricin and opium, as well as cannabis. Blarney House, also open to the public and within the estate grounds, is a Scottish baronial-style mansion that was built in 1874.
*******************************************************************************
ESPAÑOL:
El castillo de Blarney es una fortaleza medieval situada en la localidad de Blarney, cerca de Cork, en Irlanda. En la ribera del río Martin.
El castillo fue fundado a principios del siglo XIII, destruido en 1446, y posteriormente reconstruido por Dermot McCarthy, rey de Munster. Está parcialmente destruido quedando la torre del homenaje y algunas habitaciones. En la parte superior de se encuentra la piedra de la elocuencia o piedra de Blarney. Los visitantes deben besar la piedra por la parte de abajo estando suspendido en el vacío y obtendrán el don de la elocuencia.
Rodeando el castillo se encuentran los jardines que contienen diferentes puntos interesantes como Druid's Circle, Witch's Cave y las Wishing Steps. En los alrededores se encuentra la Blarney House, una mansión reformada en 1874 en estilo señorial escocés residencia de la familia Colthurst desde el siglo XV.
Dover Castle taken from outside the Dover Priory Railway station. Its an amazing occasion when you get a totally blue sky here over this historic monument
Bamburgh Castle sits on a basalt outcrop overlooking the Farne Islands and Lindisfarne in Bamburgh, England.
The Bauska Castle ensemble consists of two sections. Livonian Order Castle, built in the middle of the 15th century, is the oldest one - with only ruins remaining. A more recent part of the ensemble, built in the late 16th century, is the residence of the Kettlers, the Dukes of Courland.
Torksey Castle, Lincolnshire.
A new location I've been exploring for the last few days, morning and evening. The Nottinghamshire side of the River Trent can be accessed via the disused Torksey Viaduct.
Torksey Castle is, despite the name, an Elizabethan Manor House built circa 1560. It's largely ruined and on private land and can only really be seen from the opposite bank of the River Trent.
I came out hoping for mist, but I'm not complaining with the jaw dropping sunrise I was presented with. The saturation has not been played with...just the shadows brought up in Lightroom!
The castle of Spontin. www.xplorengo.com/eng/europe/Belgium/namur/spontin.htm
Het kasteel van Spontin. www.xplorengo.com/ned/europa/Belgie/namen/spontin.htm
Castle Acre Priory was a Cluniac priory in the village of Castle Acre, Norfolk, England, dedicated to St Mary, St Peter, and St Paul. It is thought to have been founded in 1089 by William de Warenne the son of the 1st Earl of Surrey who had founded England's first Cluniac priory at Lewes in 1077. The order originated from Burgundy. Originally the priory was sited within the walls of Castle Acre Castle, but this proved too small and inconvenient for the monks, hence the priory was relocated to the present site in the castle grounds about one year later.
The priory was dissolved in 1537, and its ruins are in the care of English Heritage, along with the nearby Castle Acre Bailey Gate and Castle Acre Castle.
Another truly stunning abandoned site in North Wales. A castle built in the early 1800's as a fantastic residence but one which has now been allowed to fall into ruin since 1985 after a series of corporate owners failed to convert it into a luxury hotel complex.
Hoensbroek Castle or Gebrook Castle is one of the largest castles in the Netherlands. It is situated in Hoensbroek, a town in the province of Limburg. This imposing watercastle is known as 'the most lordly stronghold between Rhine and Meuse'. The oldest part of the castle, notably the tall round tower, dates from around 1360.
Bodiam Castle - A 14th-century moated castle close to Robertsbridge, East Sussex, England, protected as a Grade 1 listed building. The castle is quadrangular in shape and has no Keep.
Castle Stalker, Loch Linnhe, near Appin, I had wanted to try and get a shot of Castle Stalker, not the one i was looking for, but the light on the castle worked for me.
Canon EOS 5D MKII, Canon 70-200mm, F11, 175mm, ISO50, Exp 1/25 Seconds
Lee ND 0.9, Lee Soft Grad 0.75
Raw File Processed in Lightroom, Edited in Elements.
Please do not use this image on websites, blogs or any other media without asking my written permission. All rights reserved.....© Brian Kerr Photography 2011
PLEASE ONLY COMMENT OR FAVE IF YOU ACTUALLY LIKE MY PHOTOGRAPHS, I HAVE SO MANY PEOPLE ADD ME AS A CONTACT, I DO TRY TO LOOK AT AS MANY IMAGES AS I CAN, BUT PLEASE BE AWARE I AM NOT ABLE TO SIT FOR HOURS LOOKING AT THOUSANDS OF IMAGES, I DO APPRECIATE ALL COMMENTS AND FAVES, THANKYOU.
Mont Orgueil is a castle in Jersey. It is located overlooking the harbour of Gorey. It is also called Gorey Castle by English-speakers, and lé Vièr Châté (the Old Castle) by Jèrriais-speakers.
The site had been fortified in the prehistoric period, but the construction of the castle was undertaken following the division of the Duchy of Normandy in 1204. The castle was first mentioned in 1212.
The castle was the primary defense of the Island until the development of gunpowder which then rendered the castle ultimately indefensible from Mont Saint Nicholas, the adjacent hill which overlooks the castle. Mont Orgueil was updated with platforms for artillery constructed in 1548 and 1549 under the direction of Henry Cornish, Lieutenant of the Earl of Hertford in Jersey.
Mont Orgueil was to be superseded by Elizabeth Castle off Saint Helier, the construction of which commenced at the end of 16th century.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mont_Orgueil
Texture 82 by Anna Lenabem: www.flickr.com/photos/42396059@N07/5377434850/in/photolis...
Bodiam castle is situated in the East Sussex countryside, England. It is a 14th century moated castle built in 1385. It is currently in ownership of the National Trust and is freely available to visitors to have a ponder and a mooch around and get married and all that jaz. It is supposedly known as a romantic and majestic castle for some reason or another.
Dromoland Castle is a castle, located near Newmarket-on-Fergus in County Clare, Ireland. It is operated as a 5-star luxury hotel with a golf course, with its restaurant, the Earl of Thomond
Dunnottar Castle is a ruined medieval Scottish fortress located upon a rocky headland on the northeastern coast of Scotland, near Stonehaven. The surviving buildings are largely of the 15th and 16th centuries, but the site is believed to have been fortified in the Early Middle Ages. Dunnottar has played a prominent role in the history of Scotland through to the 18th-century Jacobite risings because of its strategic location and defensive strength. Wikipedia
It is a ruin now but you can see why it was difficult to attack. We spent some lovely time here and got to see humpback whales playing nearby in the North Sea.
Hohenzollern Castle is the ancestral seat of the imperial House of Hohenzollern near Hechingen, in the Southwest of Germany.
The first fortress on the mountain was constructed in the early 11th century. Over the years the House of Hohenzollern split several times, but the castle remained in the Swabian branch, the dynastic seniors of the Franconian-Brandenburgian cadet branch that later acquired its own imperial throne. This castle was completely destroyed in 1423 after a ten-month siege by the free imperial cities of Swabia. A larger and sturdier structure was constructed from 1454 to 1461, which served as a refuge for the Catholic Swabian Hohenzollerns, including during the Thirty Years' War. By the end of the 18th century it was thought to have lost its strategic importance and gradually fell into disrepair, leading to the demolition of several dilapidated buildings.
The final castle was built between 1846 and 1867 as a family memorial by Hohenzollern King Frederick William IV of Prussia. Architect Friedrich August Stüler based his design on English Gothic Revival architecture and the Châteaux of the Loire Valley.
Among the historical artifacts of Prussian history contained in the castle are the Crown of Wilhelm II, some of the personal effects of King Frederick the Great, and a letter from US President George Washington thanking Hohenzollern descendant Baron von Steuben for his service in the American Revolutionary War.
Caerlaverock Castle is a moated triangular castle first built in the 13th century. It is located on the southern coast of Scotland, 11 kilometres south of Dumfries, on the edge of the Caerlaverock National Nature Reserve.
This site has a free car park and toilet facility.
Leeds Castle - The Loveliest Castle in the World Rising majestically from the still waters of its moat, surrounded by 500 acres of parkland and gardens, Leeds Castle is without a doubt one of the most beautiful venues in Kent.
The present remains of the castle include work from about 1200 to about 1476. Created as a defence against the Welsh, the castle fell to the Welsh several times in the twelfth century. Later in its history, it was unsuccessfully besieged by forces of Owain Glyndŵr in 1403 with assistance from soldiers from France and Brittany who captured Kidwelly town. The castle was relieved by a Norman army after just three weeks. The gatehouse was extensively damaged and it was rebuilt on the instructions of King Henry V. It largely escaped involvement in the English Civil War.
The plan of the castle consists of a square inner bailey defended by four round towers, which overlook a semi-circular outer curtain wall on the landward side, with the massive gatehouse next to the river. The river prevents this from being a truly concentric plan, however a jutting tower protects the riverside walls, and the final plan is very strong.
Plan of Kidwelly Castle
Kidwelly was used as a location for the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, appearing in the very first scene after the titles. After the first view of King Arthur and Patsy, a very misty establishing shot shows Kidwelly as their destination. However, the following close up filming was done at Doune Castle in Scotland.
The castel Eltz was built in the 12th century. You can find it next to Wirschem (Rheinland Pfalz / Germany). There were a lot of tourists, so it wasn't easy to find a great spot for a photo. After a while I found a small hill in front of the castle but there was not way up, so I had to climb a piece of the hill. The view was worth the effort.
Crathes Castle ist eine der zahlreichen schottischen Burgen aus dem 16. Jahrhundert, umgeben mit einem schönen Garten.
---
Crathes Castle is a 16th-century castle in the Aberdeenshire region of Scotland, surrounded by a walled garden.
Threave Castle located on Threave Island a low grassy holm in the River Dee upriver from Kirkcudbright. The property is cared for by Historic Scotland and access to the castle is by ferry boat across the river.
Thank you for all your comments and visits
© Ralph Stewart 2018
Please don't use this image on websites, blogs or other media without my explicit permission. © All rights reserved
Stokesay Castle is a fortified manor house in Stokesay, Shropshire, England. It was built in the late 13th century by Laurence of Ludlow
Ludlow, who at the time was one of the richest men in England. It remains a treasure by-passed by time, one of the best places to visit in England to experience what medieval life was like.