Warwick is a city on River Avon. A school Tour has given me this opportunity to visit this beautiful city. Due to lack of enough historic-knowledge about United Kindom, I have used WIKIPEDIA (sorry teachers; wikipedia is the easist way) to introduce this medival chateau.
Here you are:
Warwick Castle (pronounced /ˈwɒrɪk/) is a medieval
castle in
Warwick, the
county town of
Warwickshire, England. It sits on a cliff overlooking a bend in the
River Avon. Warwick Castle was built by
William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to
Anglo-Saxon burh of
Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when
Sir Fulke Greville converted it to a
country house. It was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978
From 1088, the castle traditionally belonged to the
Earl of Warwick, and it served as a symbol of his power. The castle was taken in 1153 by
Henry of Anjou, later Henry II. It has been used to hold prisoners, including some from the
Battle of Poitiers in the 14th century. Under the ownership of
Richard Neville – also known as "Warwick the Kingmaker" – Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king,
Edward IV.
Since its construction in the 11th century, the castle has undergone structural changes with additions of towers and redesigned residential buildings. Originally a wooden
motte-and-bailey, it was rebuilt in stone in the 12th century. During the
Hundred Years War, the facade opposite the town was refortified, resulting in one of the most recognisable examples of 14th century military architecture.
In the 17th century the grounds were turned into a garden. Warwick Castle was purchased by
The Tussauds Group in 1978 and opened as a tourist attraction. It is protected as a
Scheduled Ancient Monument[1] and a Grade I
listed building.
Location:Warwick Castle is situated on a
sandstone bluff at a bend of the River Avon. The river, which runs below the castle on the east side, has eroded the rock the castle stands on, forming a cliff. The river and cliff form natural defences. The castle is in the town of Warwick; when construction began in 1068 four houses belonging to the
Abbot of Coventry were demolished to provide room. The castle's position made it strategically important in safeguarding the Midlands against rebellion.
[3] During the 12th century, King
Henry I was suspicious of
Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick. To counter the earl's influence, Henry bestowed
Geoffrey de Clinton with a position of power rivalling that of the earl.
[4] The lands he was given included
Kenilworth – a castle of comparative size, cost, and importance,
[5] and rebuilt in stone by Clinton
[6] – which is about 8 kilometres (5 mi) to the north. Warwick Castle is about 1.6 kilometres (1 mi) from
Warwick railway station and less than 3.2 kilometres (2.0 mi) from junction 15 of the
M40 motorway; it is also close to
Birmingham International Airport.
[7]Source: Wikipedia
