Showing posts with label Castles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Castles. Show all posts
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
Monday, 6 July 2009
Chepstow
Chepstow Castle & museum the Boat Inn enjoyed fish & (real) chips. I always find it surprising who much I forget from previous visits and also how much new information we find. For instance the town museum was used as a military hospital during the Great War. In the museum there was a display detailing the docks that were also built during the First World War. I didn’t spot them walking round but they are clearly visible using Google Earth. On the heritage trail round the town there are info panel (although some are difficult to locate). The single storey Drill Hall is also worth looking out for.
Date of visit: 28th June 2009
Thursday, 11 June 2009
Dudley castle
Until earlier this month I could count on both hands the number of times I’ve visited Dudley castle. Prompted by an excellent display at Dudley Museum & Art Gallery my brother and myself decided to visit again. The castle dominates the surrounding countryside, but I’m sure most locals wouldn’t have a clue about its history. This is a pity because the site has witnessed an awful lot during the past one thousand years. I think it’s fair to say that Dudley zoo is better known nationally. The zoo has occupied most of the surrounding castle grounds since the 1930’s.
Interesting Dudley castle facts: Owned by John de Sutton VI; he was present at several battles during the Wars of the Roses. He managed to get injured and captured several times and eventually ended up on the losing side but must have been highly regarded. Well into his eighties Sutton went on the serve Henry VII as Sheriff of Sussex, despite the fact he’d fought against him at Bosworth. Visited by Queen Elizabeth I Probably the most famous owner was John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. Manoeuvred Lady Jane Grey onto the throne and lost his head for his troubles. He commissioned the Sharrington range which still enhances the main bailey. Endured two sieges during the English Civil War and a prompted a nearby battle (Tipton Green). Visited by Queen Elizabeth II The town itself is a good example of medieval planned town. Most of the main streets in Dudley itself will give you a clear of the castle. Behind St. Thomas’s (known locally to everyone as Top Church) Abberley Hill can be seen. This is the traditional site of Henry IV’s camp during his standoff with Owen Glendower at nearby Woodbury Hill. The Malvern hills are (just visible) to the left on the far horizon.
Date of visit: 4th & 30th May 2009
View of keep from Sharrington range.
Date of visit: 30th May 2009
Interesting Dudley castle facts: Owned by John de Sutton VI; he was present at several battles during the Wars of the Roses. He managed to get injured and captured several times and eventually ended up on the losing side but must have been highly regarded. Well into his eighties Sutton went on the serve Henry VII as Sheriff of Sussex, despite the fact he’d fought against him at Bosworth. Visited by Queen Elizabeth I Probably the most famous owner was John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland. Manoeuvred Lady Jane Grey onto the throne and lost his head for his troubles. He commissioned the Sharrington range which still enhances the main bailey. Endured two sieges during the English Civil War and a prompted a nearby battle (Tipton Green). Visited by Queen Elizabeth II The town itself is a good example of medieval planned town. Most of the main streets in Dudley itself will give you a clear of the castle. Behind St. Thomas’s (known locally to everyone as Top Church) Abberley Hill can be seen. This is the traditional site of Henry IV’s camp during his standoff with Owen Glendower at nearby Woodbury Hill. The Malvern hills are (just visible) to the left on the far horizon.
Date of visit: 4th & 30th May 2009
View of keep from Sharrington range.
Date of visit: 30th May 2009
Tuesday, 9 June 2009
Tutbury Castle
Tutbury Castle is a largely ruinous medieval castle at Tutbury, Staffordshire in the ownership of the Duchy of Lancaster. It is a Grade I listed building.
Tutbury Castle became the headquarters of Henry de Ferrers and was the centre of the wapentake of Appletree, which included Duffield Frith. With his wife Bertha, he endowed Tutbury Priory with two manors in about 1080. It would seem that Tutbury at that time was a dependency of the Norman abbey of St Pierre sur Dives.
The castle was destroyed by Prince Edward in 1264 after the rebellion of Robert de Ferrers. Since 1269, after another rebellion in 1269 the lands were given to Edmund Crouchback and have remained part of the Duchy of Lancaster ever since. The Queen holds the current title of Duke of Lancaster (Queen Victoria decided that the title remains ‘Duke’ regardless if the sovereign is male or female) and the estates are still run on her behalf.
The majority of the ruins date from the 14th and 15th centuries although the remains of the chapel date from the 12th century. Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner from February 1569 arriving with 60 attendants. By all accounts Mary hated the place after a sympathetic jailer, Bess of Hardwicke’s husband George Talbot, was placed by a harsher one. She was held in a three storey wooden building. If you look carefully enough you can still see the foundations marked out with stone. Mary finally left in December 1585. She was beheaded two years later in 1587 at Fotheringhay castle.
Apparently there are good views but all we could see was rain.
There were several interesting chaps from www.silverfletchings.info/ reenactment group while we were there avoiding the rain in the main building. We spent at least an hour chatting to the people there.
John of Gaunt entrance
Remains of chapel in foreground
Date of visit: 7th June 2009
Tutbury Castle became the headquarters of Henry de Ferrers and was the centre of the wapentake of Appletree, which included Duffield Frith. With his wife Bertha, he endowed Tutbury Priory with two manors in about 1080. It would seem that Tutbury at that time was a dependency of the Norman abbey of St Pierre sur Dives.
The castle was destroyed by Prince Edward in 1264 after the rebellion of Robert de Ferrers. Since 1269, after another rebellion in 1269 the lands were given to Edmund Crouchback and have remained part of the Duchy of Lancaster ever since. The Queen holds the current title of Duke of Lancaster (Queen Victoria decided that the title remains ‘Duke’ regardless if the sovereign is male or female) and the estates are still run on her behalf.
The majority of the ruins date from the 14th and 15th centuries although the remains of the chapel date from the 12th century. Mary, Queen of Scots was held prisoner from February 1569 arriving with 60 attendants. By all accounts Mary hated the place after a sympathetic jailer, Bess of Hardwicke’s husband George Talbot, was placed by a harsher one. She was held in a three storey wooden building. If you look carefully enough you can still see the foundations marked out with stone. Mary finally left in December 1585. She was beheaded two years later in 1587 at Fotheringhay castle.
Apparently there are good views but all we could see was rain.
There were several interesting chaps from www.silverfletchings.info/ reenactment group while we were there avoiding the rain in the main building. We spent at least an hour chatting to the people there.
John of Gaunt entrance
Remains of chapel in foreground
Date of visit: 7th June 2009
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