Castles and forts

Leeds Castle is said to be "the loveliest castle in the world."  It is certainly one of the loveliest in Britain.  And with eight centuries of history, including an association with six queens, beautiful gardens, a maze, a fabulous playground for kids - you can easily spend a day at Leeds Castle.

Lincoln Castle has a one-thousand-year history. Built by William the Conqueror, initially in wood and later in stone, allegedly using recycled Roman blocks, the castle has been the site of conflict, as well as a prison. It was fought over during the 12th century Anarchy and withstood a 40-day siege in the early 12th century. Just a few years later, it featured in the Battle of Lincoln in 1217, when royalist forces defeated an invading French army; had they not prevailed, England would almost certainly have come under French rule. It was besieged again during the English Civil when, in 1644, defending Royalists were overwhelmed by Parliamentary forces. Later, it became a prison. During the Second World War, Civil Defence Volunteers perched on the castle’s walls scanned the skies overhead for enemy aircraft.

Courts have been held at Lincoln Castle for centuries. Today, there is a 19th century courthouse on the site, still used for criminal trials.

Little remains of the medieval castle. Visitors can tour the Victorian prison block and view one of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta. This is one of Lincoln’s treasures. Apart from the prison and the courthouse, the bailey area of the old castle is just an open space, freely open to the public when the castle is open. However, the highlight of a visit is to walk around the castle walls, taking in various towers along the way, and with spectacular views of the cathedral and city. The wall walk was part of a multi-million-pound restoration project between 2010 and 2015; and it has been done extremely well.

Enormous - according to English Heritage equivalent to 50 football pitches - Iron Age hillfort with multiple and complex ramparts and ditches. This was ancient Dorchester! Here, Vespasian's highly trained Roman troops overcame the British defenders, the Durotriges tribe, one of whom ended up with a ballista in his spine. There's not much to see, but quite a lot to marvel and wonder at.

Photo by Major George Allen (1891–1940) (Ashmolean Museum) public domain via Wikimedia Commons

The first Montgomery Castle was built in the 1070s by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Shrewsbury, Earl of Arundel and one of King William I’s most powerful supporters.  It was a motte and bailey castle, built in wood at Hen Domen, a short distance from the modern town, but was replaced by a stone castle on a rocky hilltop overlooking modern Montgomery between 1223 and 1234.  The town developed beneath this far more formidable fortress.  Hen Domen fell into disuse, its earthworks still visible on private land adjacent to the modern village of Hendomen.

The Welsh leader Owain Glyndŵr attacked and destroyed the town in 1402, but the castle remained until the Civil War and the Battle of Montgomery that took place just to the north east of the town in September 1644, a major defeat for the Royalist cause. The castle survived, but was slighted in 1649.

Though in ruins, the castle’s impressive defences can be appreciated and the views over the town and the valley of the River Camlad are terrific.

There is a car park at the top of the hill (unnamed road) next to the castle, but though it is steep the walk up from town is more rewarding.  The post code is therefore for the Dragon Hotel, where it is possible to park outside in the Market Square.

What remains of Norwich's Norman castle is a striking white stone keep, now housing a museum and art gallery. Here you can learn about the history of the castle, which has been both a palace and a prison, as well as explore the battlements, dungeons and collections. Galleries are dedicated to art, ancient Britons, Egyptians, Anglo-Saxons and Vikings and natural history.