Today we visited Warwick Castle. It stands on the edge of the town of Warwick in Central England on the River Avon. Before we went, our program brought in a guest lecturer to tell us more about Warwick Castle and castle life in general. He emphasized the fact that private castles such as Warwick were, above all else, homes. People lived in them. They had babies in them, raised their children in them, had weddings in them, and even died in them. What struck me the most was his depiction of castles as ever changing. Each new era, each new family, each new individual adds something to the castle and takes something away. Castles are always undergoing additions and renovations, so in many ways, the castles of a thousand years ago don’t exist. This was especially noticeable in the staterooms exhibit in Warwick. A section of the castle was decorated as it would have been in 1898, when Daisy, Countess of Warwick, hosted a weekend party at the castle. The principle guest was the Prince of Wales, later Edward VII. The rooms were beautiful, with much of the original décor still in place, yet the Victorian rooms look nothing like what one would imagine to be inside a castle.
We also learned about the way that castles were attacked. The easiest way was, of course, to storm the castle gate. At Warwick, however, the main gate leads into a small entryway before a second gate. The attackers are then trapped in the passageway as arrows rain down from all directions from slots in the walls above. Another option was to dig underneath a tower or wall until it toppled. It was easier to topple square towers, which is why many towers were later built with circular bases. So interesting!
Warwick Castle had wonderful opportunities for interaction with history. The staterooms had wax figures created by Madam Tussauds. One tower told of the murder of a previous owner as a ghost story. It was dimly lit with actors who, along with telling the tale in bloody make-up, snarled, shouted, and thoroughly scared us all to pieces! I screamed more than once. The Kingmaker exhibit depicted peasant and knight life, and we were able to try on helmets, armor, and clothing. Another exhibit allowed us to share in the dreams of a young pageboy of the castle on the night before entering his first battle. Visiting Warwick Castle opened my eyes more to the true story of castles, their purpose, their functions, actual castle life, and the impact of time upon their stories.
The town of Warwick. I also visited that church.
A view of the castle from the top of the castle mound
These lamp posts reminded us of Narnia...
Frilly hats and frocks!
Why don't girls still wear dresses like this?
The River Avon flows right along the castle...the English countryside is so beautiful!
1 comment:
Oh, Kimberly, you write so well! It was almost as good as being there! I look forward to each new article. Sending lots of love, Grandma "B" P. Sl Grandpa had the three girls out past midnight watching the Beavers beat WA. It was cold but no rain. Uncle Bob and Aunt Carol cancelled out when the weatherman said it would be heavy rain!
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