No country with a historic tradition of beautiful castles in the uk is as rich with history as the United Kingdom. These countries have been mentioned in numerous Hollywood productions, although it has yet to be depicted accurately onscreen. Kingdoms have been ruled throughout history by various monarchs and emperors. From kings to queens and every other ruling formula imaginable, the power of any kingdom lies in its walls, surrounding its cultural heritage and royal legacies which reached their apex of extravagance in Britain.
No country has a history rich in history and tradition like the United Kingdom. We have seen epic movies describe these cultural heritages to the best of their abilities, but none have really been able to encapsulate the fullness of how kingdoms worked in historic times. Every kingdom is known by its rulers. From emperors to Queens to Kings and monarchs, the strength of a kingdom is seen by its walls, and its rulers paid much attention to how fitting their castles were to the king’s glory.
There’s much to be explored in any country but the UK has come from a great history and their traditional castles were a large part of what makes them so special. From grand forks to carefully crafted homes, the UK is full of wonders waiting to be discovered. These are 4 of the best castles in this beautiful country:
Edinburgh
Edinburgh Castle, known for its defensive architecture and prolonged significance as a military fortress and prison, is located on Castle Rock in Edinburgh. The last monarch to reside at Edinburgh Castle was King Charles II after whose reign defense of the castle ceased for almost 300 years. Describing a visit to this site, visitors often remark on the tour guides provided by castle stewards and the audio guides available in 8 different languages.
This historic place is known for having a strong military presence. It has served as both a prison and fortress through the ages. Although it’s located in the castle rough, it remains highly defensible thanks to its location. The last monarch to sit in the palace was King Charles and the road to this historic place is very steep – almost like climbing a mountain or climbing stairs! On visiting, visitors are provided with guided tours by castle staff or in 8 different languages using audio guides just like those you might use while exploring a world-famous castle back home!
This historic destination is known for its violent past as a military stronghold, penitentiary, and who can forget the weekly public whipping sessions that were held here from 1660 to 1799? But this historical landmark’s location on Fortress Hill has now been turned into an attraction that is the regular home of Edinburgh Military Tattoo. This is one place where you will encounter some amazing views and also get to enjoy the highland games.
Windsor
Windsor is the oldest castle in the United Kingdom. There, many royal weddings have been held, including the weddings of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018 and throughout centuries and even a millennium prior to that.
Windsor Castle is an ancient palace that has been occupied for over 700 years. It is still the residence of the British royal family and played host to one of the most recent royal weddings in history when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle in May 2018. Windsor was also where King Charles I was kept prisoner before being executed in 1600 and is of great historical importance. King George IV, Queen Victoria, and Queen Elizabeth II have all enjoyed this spectacular building during their reigns.
Windsor is the place you will find the oldest royal residence called, unsurprisingly, Windsor Castle. This royal residence had quite a bit of history there with British monarchs before it became a museum open to visitors:
Warwick
This castle was built by one of William the Conqueror’s descendants, known as Robert Devereux in 1087. The Castle was a reconstruction of its original design in 1068 and it can be found at River Anon, United Kingdom – being the closest example to what a Mediaeval castle looks like.
This place is a castle that was built over 1,000 years ago. It’s located near the River Avon and it is still considered to be the best-preserved medieval castle in all of Britain. Although it has been re-modified over the years, it is still very much in its original form. The first attack came 200 years after it was built, at the hands of Flemish troops who later attacked again in 1088 as well as again in 1642 during the Civil war. This castle has also seen a couple of fires, including one in 1871 but despite such disasters, it still stands strong due to its being constructed out of Roman concrete which helped preserve the integrity of its structure. This historic monument was restored by Henry II back in the 13th century, with many works being carried on over time.
Arundel
If you are a movie lover, you would have noticed that many movies have been shot in this destination. Particularly the Castle in “The Young Victoria” and even Doctor Who. While this site is known for some more famous shots of it, today its current structures aren’t really how they used to look when they were first built because so much time has passed since then.
The Castle of Goodrich is, as far as I know, a romantic English castle that has been the backdrop for several movies and it is one of my favorites. It was the home to the famous writer William Shakespeare too! As far as history goes, this castle has been around since somewhere around 1101 AD when it was built in Herefordshire, England by Order of Henry I. As far as size goes, it covers over 40 acres and has 127 rooms which include a Great hall and two chapels. Most of what stands there today are a couple of additions added during Victorian times but to this day, you can always be sure to find a small army of tourists wandering about admiring everything from the Black Tower and the chapel (which happens to have intricately beautiful stained glass windows) to the clock tower that overlooks everything else in sight!
