And we’re off!
The first county we have set our sites on is Warwickshire, and we are kicking off with the obvious choice… Warwick Castle!
After three years of studying at Warwick Uni, Georgia visited Warwick castle in January, and it did not disappoint! With amazing exhibitions on all our favourite eras, and some scarily realistic waxworks that she kept apologising to when she almost knocked into them, Merlin have done a fantastic job of making Warwick castle entertaining for every age.
Warwick castle was originally designed by William the Conqueror, on a fortification site chosen by Alfred the Great’s daughter, Aelthelflaede, making it the oldest castle we’ve looked at so far… oh… wait…
The castle has been owned by various big names, from the Nevilles, who gave us Warwick the Kingmaker, to the Grevilles, who gave us Warwick the Filmmaker. It’s safe to say that Warwick has been the set for numerous key moments in English history, and certainly kicked off Podcastles with a bang.
And of course, as promised, you can find the horrible histories account of the wars of the roses here...
The ghosts and skeletons are quite literal at Warwick castle. Many claim that Fulke Greville’s ghost still haunts one of the towers, after he was murdered by his manservant. Furthermore, Warwick dungeon was renowned across Europe for centuries, with a special section, known as the ‘oubliete’, where prisoners could be left and quite literally forgotten. The dungeon walls, as well as the walls of a secret room recently discovered, are covered with the graffiti of prisoners from all periods, including the signature of one Edward Disney, captured by the Parliamentarian Army after the Battle of Edgehill in 1642. If Disney had been executed, as he was originally sentenced to be, his ancestors would never have come into this world, and the happiest place on earth would be some other destination...
Warwick castle is now owned by Merlin entertainment, and open to visitors once more. They have various exhibitions and tours, n host events such as jousting and reenactments, as well as offering cabins and rooms for short breaks. You can check all this out here, and we strongly recommend you give the castle a visit next time you're in Warwickshire!
The next episode will be on a local rival of Warwick castle, Kenilworth castle - so make sure you stay tuned!
Sources
Brown, A., English Castles, (London: B.T. Batsford Ltd, 1962).
Friar, S., Castles, (Gloucestershire; The History Press, 2011).
Gouws, J., ‘Greville, Fulke, first Baron Brooke of Beauchamps Court’, Oxford database of National Biographies, (23.09.2004).
Hamilton, J., ‘Beauchamp, Guy de, tenth earl of Warwick’, Oxford Database of National Biographies, (23.09.2004), https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-1835?rskey=2riC1d&result=1
Kilburn, M., ‘Greville, (Charles Guy) Fulke [performing name Michael Brooke], seventh earl of Warwick and seventh Earl Brooke’, Oxford Database of National Biographies, (25.09.2014).
Pettifer, Adrian . English Castles: a Guide by Counties. (The Boydell Press,1995).
Pollard, A., ‘Neville, Richard, sixteenth earl of Warwick and sixth earl of Salisbury [called the Kingmaker]’, Oxford Database of National Biographies, (23.09.2004).
Reynolds, K., ‘Greville [née Maynard], Frances Evelyn [Daisy], countess of Warwick’, Oxford Database of National Biographies, (23.09.2004).
Warwick Castle
Wikipedia
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