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Castles In The English Countryside

Warwick Castle

Warwick castle lies in the town of Warwick, overlooking the beautiful river Avon. The first stones of this famous castle were laid in 914, and the remains of this fortification can still be seen on the grounds of the castle. In 1264, the castle we see now was built, mainly due to the Beauchamp family who owned it for several generations.

In 1978, the rights to the castle were sold to Tussauds, a large visitor attractions business, and they made extensive restorations to open the castle to visitors. Now, the inside is accurately furnished to its medieval styles and has a special underground exhibit with wax figures of different stations fulfilling daily tasks. The pride of the castle is probably the working scale model trebuchet which can be fired by visitors under professional supervision.

Blenheim Palace

The gigantic English palace that resides in Woodstock was built between 1705 and 1724 in the rare English baroque style and is one of the largest castles in Europe. The home was made for the Churchill family, who were of the gentry but had a history of military success culminating in Prime Minister Winston Churchill who was born at the Palace.

A large number of rooms are open to the public, and they are spectacular with painted ceiling, gold leafed moldings, paintings adorning all of the walls and fabrics that are lush and vibrant. During some months, the private residence, a section of the palace where the current Duke of Marlborough lives, is open to the public and it houses some of the most prized possessions of the family.

The palace itself is not all that is offered, the gardens are also a sight to be seen. There is a great bridge, a column of victory, formal Italian gardens, a series of cascades, a great Bernini fountain and an exquisite rose garden.

Hampton Court

Hampton Court is a former royal palace in Richmond upon Thames and is now a major tourist attraction. The inside holds numerous paintings from Royal collections, and has furniture from the Tudor period and early Georgian period that was used in the palace. There are also gorgeous tapestries and ceramics collected by Queen Mary II. You may also get haunted by the ghost of Queen Jane Seymour who ghost has claimed to have been seen on the staircase.

The gardens may be more famous than the castle and formal gardens line up along the side of the large palace. The most visited part of the gardens is the maze, but make sure you have time to walk through because it has taken people up to two hours to complete!

Winsor Castle

Winsor Castle is an official residence of the Queen of England and is the largest occupied castle in the world. The castle has been a Royal home for 900 years and remains a working palace today. Visitors can tour the State apartments, and for parts of the year they can tour the Semi State rooms. Inside the home are the countless treasures of the Royal Collection, including painting by Rubens, Van Dyke and Holbein, tapestries, porcelain, sculptures and armor.

You can also see Queen Mary's doll house, which is much more interesting than it seems on paper. Any woman will be jealous of this place where her toys got to live. You can also visit St. George's Chapel, the burial place of ten sovereigns and the church that has married many royal couples.