One of England's great medieval castles, complete and towering above the Avon — a Norman motte turned full-blooded showpiece
Open to visitorscheck opening times and admission before you go
Standing remainssubstantial fabric survives to stand in front of
William the Conqueror threw up the first castle at Warwick in 1068, and the motte still survives at the southern end of the site. The Beauchamp earls rebuilt it in stone through the 14th century, raising the great show-front of towers that still looms over the town — Caesar’s Tower and Guy’s Tower among the tallest curtain-wall towers in England. From 1604 the Greville family held Warwick and turned its interior into a country house; they sold the castle in 1978, and it now runs year-round as one of the country’s busiest visitor attractions.
Unlike most castles of its age it is complete: roofed, furnished, and walkable from the ramparts to the dungeon, with the great hall, state rooms and a working trebuchet down by the river. It is a paid, all-day sort of visit.
In the town the Collegiate Church of St Mary holds the extraordinary Beauchamp Chapel, and The Mill Garden sits right beneath the walls. The Grand Union Canal passes to the north, and the dramatic ruins of Kenilworth Castle are a short drive away.
More at the National Heritage List entry
