LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Previous

FULL PAGE IN COLOUR

1. Bodiam Castle, Sussex Frontispiece
One of the most picturesque ruins in Sussex and the most interesting of its class in the Kingdom. It was erected by a veteran of Agincourt and is based upon the plan of those existing in Gascony at that time. Only the encircling walls and towers now remain, the interior having been despoiled. The view shows the Gateway and a portion of the defences of the Causeway across the Moat.
2. Maiden Castle, Dorsetshire 9
This gigantic earthwork looms darkly in the distance, with indications upon its broken outline of the enormous mounds and fosses which render it one of the most impressive examples of its class. As a work of Neolithic man it commands attention, both by reason of the vastness of its plan and the skill shown in the design.
3. Pevensey Castle, Sussex 16
Within the Roman walls encircling this ancient site a Concentric Castle was erected during the time of Edward I., a short portion of the existing wall being used for the new building. It was partly surrounded by a moat, a part of which appears in the view, while the drum tower occupying the centre is one of those designed to protect the approach to the Castle.
4. The Beauchamp Tower, Tower of London 25
This building affords an interesting example of the ground floor of a tower of the thirteenth century with massive walls and deep embrasures. It became famous as a prison in Tudor times and later when numerous notable persons were incarcerated; the carvings on the walls reveal many notable names.
5. Corfe Castle, Dorsetshire 32
The scattered ruins of the great Castle of Corfe owe their present appearance to the "slighting" by gunpowder in 1646, after its capture by the Parliamentarians. Amid the desolation produced the great Keep still rears a massive front towards the sky, as if protesting against the indignity. The Gateway to the inner Bailey is nearly perfect, and the smooth ashlar of many of the circular towers remains wonderfully preserved.
6. The Tower of London 49
The three lines of defence which render the Tower one of the most effective Concentric Castles in this country are well seen in the illustration. The outer encircling walls, the higher curtain wall of the second defence, with one of the many towers which bestride it, and the innermost of all, the White Tower, the finest example of a Norman Keep in England, may be distinctly located.
7. Kenilworth Castle, Warwickshire 56
Although deprived of the charm of the great Moat which once surrounded the Castle, Kenilworth still forms a beautiful object, magnificent in its decay. The halo of romance hangs over these ruins, and speaks eloquently of the Barons' War, and of the 'spacious days' of Queen Elizabeth.
8. Arundel Castle, Sussex 73
This massive pile, overlooking the little river Arun at its base, stands upon a spur of chalk which once bore a Motte and Bailey Castle. The Motte is now crowned by a Shell Keep, seen towards the right of the picture, while some of the other buildings erected upon the enceinte form an effective group in the centre.
9. Dover Castle, Kent 80
The great Keep dominates the view, with the buildings of its fore-court at the base, while below are seen the towers and massive defences of the formidable entrance to the Castle. It is one of the most impressive piles to be seen in the British Isles, and never fails to impress the foreigner when approaching it from the coast of France.
10. Rochester Castle, Kent 89
Of Rochester Castle nothing of importance remains except the great Keep and fragments of walls. The Norman Keep was erected in the reign of Henry I. (1100-1135) and is one of the finest now in existence. It has seen many troublous times in its varied history, chiefly at the hands of King John and Simon de Montfort. The combination of Keep, Cathedral, and river presented in the view is particularly pleasing.
11. Richmond Castle, Yorkshire 89
This lordly Castle occupies a commanding position in the romantically beautiful valley of the Swale and dates back to the Norman period. The Keep is a salient feature and exemplifies in a remarkable degree nearly all the characteristics inherent in buildings of this class. The Norman hall is one of the best preserved of its type to be found in this country.
12. Carnarvon Castle, Carnarvonshire 105
One of the most impressive features of this great Castle, termed the finest in Europe, is the Eagle Tower with its many historical associations. The bands and dressings of dark sandstone are well shown in the illustration, while upon the merlons crowning the turrets may be perceived as little dots the statuettes of men and animals which usually occur upon the Edwardian Castles in Wales.
13. Castle Rushen, Isle of Man 112
Castle Rushen, in Castletown, is the ancient residence of the Kings of Man; it probably dates from the thirteenth century and is still quite entire. The Keep-like structure upon the right are the curtain walls and towers surrounding the inner Bailey.
14. Leeds Castle, Kent 121
Leeds Castle is of the Concentric type and stands upon two islands in the middle of a lake which contains about fifteen acres of water. It has a rich history and the remains are of considerable interest, although the earliest work now to be seen is not older than the twelfth century. The Gloriette or Keep is that portion lying to the right in the picture.
15. Tower of London, The Middle Tower 128
This building might more aptly be termed 'The Barbican,' as it lies upon the farther side of the Moat from the Fortress. It now forms the entrance to the Tower from Tower Hill and affords access to the outer Bailey through the Byward Tower, whose entrance may be perceived through the archway. In earlier times this gate, which is one of those built by Henry III., was separated from a former outer barbican by the waters of the Moat, hence its name, the Middle Tower.
16. Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire 137
This building might more aptly be termed 'The Barbican,' as it lies upon the farther side of the Moat from the Fortress. It now forms the entrance to the Tower from Tower Hill and affords access to the outer Bailey through the Byward Tower, whose entrance may be perceived through the archway. In earlier times this gate, which is one of those built by Henry III., was separated from a former outer barbican by the waters of the Moat, hence its name, the Middle Tower.
17. Leeds Castle, Kent 144
The Gateway of the Castle is one of the most picturesque portions of the building. A range of machicoulis is placed over the entrance, while a small portion of an original bretasche, a very rare survival of the medieval period, is also preserved in the Castle.
18. Windsor Castle 147
Windsor Castle was originally of the Motte and Bailey type, but the Motte was subsequently crowned with a massive Shell Keep, one of the largest of its kind. It appears in the illustration surmounted by the Royal Standard. By later additions the Castle was rendered concentric. In the centre is the upper portion of St. George's Chapel, and on the right the Curfew Tower built by Henry III. and restored by Salvin, while in the front nestles a portion of the old town.
19. Skipton Castle, Yorkshire 150
Skipton Castle possesses a history reaching back to the Norman Conquest, and has been in the possession of the great Clifford family since the reign of Edward II. The portion here shown is the Tudor Courtyard, erected by the first Earl of Cumberland in the reign of Henry VIII.
20. Ightham Mote, Kent 155
Ightham Mote boasts of a Hall erected early in the fourteenth century and one of the best of its kind. The tower is of Perpendicular architecture, and most of the other portions Elizabethan. The half-timber work exhibited in this building is a beautiful example, and the whole structure harmonizes in the happiest manner with the uncommon beauty of the surroundings.
21. Wressle Castle, Yorkshire 158
Wressle Castle has a history which is indissolubly linked up with the great house of the Percies, who periodically maintained their court in it for centuries. Only the south faƇade is now standing, as the Parliamentarians destroyed the remaining three sides about 1650. It was surrounded by a moat and a deep dry ditch. The famous Household Book of Henry Percy, written soon after the country settled down after the Wars of the Roses, reveals elaborate details of the life in this Castle. The illustration shows how a castle built on level ground is able to look over a very extended area from its battlements.
22. Hever Castle, Kent 161
Hever Castle dates from the time of Edward III., and a romantic interest is attached to it in connection with the ill-fated Anne Boleyn, whose family resided there. The Gatehouse, not shown in the illustration, is undoubtedly one of the most effective portions of the building.
23. Maxstoke Castle, Warwickshire 163
This Castle is practically entire, having escaped the destructive hands of the Parliamentarians. It was raised in the early part of the reign of Edward III. and the Gatehouse forms an excellent example of castellation of that period. Strange to say, some of the original domestic apartments are still in a good state of preservation.
24. Herstmonceaux Castle, Sussex 166
This Castle is one of the later type, and erected in brick. It is contemporary with Tattershall in Lincolnshire, also built of brick, and undoubtedly forms one of the finest examples of the Castellated Mansion to be found in England.
25. Penshurst Place, Kent 160
The manor-house of the Sydneys first came into existence in the reign of Edward II., and gradually expanded into a happy mixture of the manorial mansion and the Castle. The Hall, seen in the centre of the picture, dates from the middle of the fourteenth century and is one of the earliest parts of the building.
26. Bothwell Castle, Lanarkshire 179
Bothwell Castle stands in all the majesty of ruin upon the banks of the Clyde, and is without doubt the grandest example in Scotland of the simple enclosure castle of the thirteenth century. A deep and wide moat protects it upon the land side, and its Donjon is also strengthened by its own ditch.
27. Neidpath Castle, Peeblesshire 182
Is a typical Lowland Keep or Peel overlooking the Tweed, and although it probably does not date back earlier than the fourteenth century in its present form, an older structure existed in the time of David I. (1124-1153), who dated charters there. The Castle was held by the Frasers until the fourteenth century, and John, Lord Yester, afterwards the Earl of Tweeddale, defended the place against Cromwell in 1646 but was obliged to surrender.
28. Edinburgh Castle from the Terrace of Heriot's Hospital 185
Edinburgh Castle is the centre of the national history of Scotland. It stands upon the ancient Burgh of Edwin, King of Northumbria, and although sadly altered and disfigured in comparatively modern times by the addition of many unpicturesque buildings, it still possesses interesting features of the past, and an imposing aspect when viewed from the city.
29. Dunnottar Castle, Kincardineshire 187
Dunnottar Castle is undoubtedly one of the most majestic ruins of the fourteenth century in Scotland, with a rich store of interesting history casting a halo of romance around the massive pile. The sea surrounds it on three sides, while a deep ravine upon the fourth severs it from the mainland. The tide of war has often ebbed and flowed before its hoary walls. The Keep was built by Sir William Keith in 1392, and in the Great Civil War the regalia of Scotland, which had been sent here for safety, was sent out of the Castle before its surrender to the English.
30. Tantallon Castle, Haddingtonshire 190
Tantallon Castle stands upon a bold spur of rock south of the Firth of Forth. It is a magnificent example of a Quadrangular Castle, surrounded upon three sides by the waters of the North Sea, and defended upon the remaining side by gigantic walls flanked by the Keep, and also a deep ditch.
31. Stirling Castle, Stirlingshire 192
Stirling Castle occupies a precipitous site upon the river Forth and is connected with the history of Scotland from a very early period. Of sieges and battles it has seen its full share, and although modern fortifications and barracks somewhat detract from its appearance, it still possesses a number of medieval structures of great beauty and interest.
32. Raising the Portcullis 196
The method for raising and lowering the Portcullis of a medieval castle is shown here, the example being taken from the Tower of London. This effective defence could be entirely detached if required and dropped at a critical moment when, perhaps, a few assailants had gained admission, and were in that manner cut off from their comrades.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

Clyx.com


Top of Page
Top of Page