The east front of Warwick Castle as painted by Canaletto in 1752.

Interior.

Exterior view taken from the river Avon.

Another view.

Warwick Castle (grid reference SP284648), overlooking the River Avon, lies in the town of Warwick of the English county of Warwickshire. It is traditionally associated with the earldom of Warwick, one of the oldest in England. The castle today is a popular tourist attraction and attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world. Download high resolution version (1270x767, 160 KB)The east front of Warwick Castle as painted by Canaletto in 1752. ... Download high resolution version (1270x767, 160 KB)The east front of Warwick Castle as painted by Canaletto in 1752. ... Image File history File links Warwick_interior. ... Image File history File links Warwick_interior. ... Image File history File linksMetadata 2006-04-10_056web. ... Image File history File linksMetadata 2006-04-10_056web. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 561 pixelsFull resolution (1848 × 1296 pixel, file size: 1. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 561 pixelsFull resolution (1848 × 1296 pixel, file size: 1. ... The British national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Great Britain, different from using latitude or longitude. ... The River Avon or Avon is a river in or adjoining the counties of Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire in the midlands of England. ... Warwick (pronounced or War-ick (silent w in middle)) is the historic county town of Warwickshire in England and has a population of 25,434 (2001 census). ... A detailed map Stratford-upon-Avon Kenilworth Castle Warwickshire (pronounced //, //, or //) is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in central England. ... The Earl of Warwick is one of the oldest English earldoms. ...

Early history

Legend has it that the first fortification of significance on the grounds of Warwick Castle was erected by Ethelfleda, the daughter of Alfred the Great, in the year 914. This almost certainly replaced older wooden fortifications which had proven ineffective against marauding Danes who sacked the town during the reign of her father. This fortification was part of a network built to protect the Kingdom of Wessex. Ethelfleda (alternative spelling Aethelfled, Æthelfleda or Æthelflæd) (872/879?-918) was the eldest daughter of King Alfred the Great of Wessex and his wife Ealhswith. ... Alfred (also Ælfred from the Old English: Ælfrēd) (c. ... Map of the British Isles circa 802 Wessex was one of the seven major Anglo-Saxon kingdoms (the Heptarchy) that preceded the Kingdom of England. ...

The remains of this ancient fortification can still be seen on Ethelfleda's Mound, a mound of earth at the southern end of the castle's courtyard. As intriguing as this legend is, the majority of the remains date from the period of Norman rule.

After the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century, William the Conqueror appointed Henry de Newburgh as Earl of Warwick. During this time of change, a Norman motte-and-bailey fort was erected. Bayeux Tapestry depicting events leading to the Battle of Hastings The Norman Conquest of England was the conquest of the Kingdom of England by William the Conqueror (Duke of Normandy), in 1066 at the Battle of Hastings and the subsequent Norman control of England. ... William I of England (c. ... A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle. ...

Birth of a castle

In the year 1264, the castle was seized by the forces of Simon de Montfort, who consequently imprisoned the current Earl, William Mauduit, and his countess at Kenilworth (who were supporters of the king and loyals to the barons) until a ransom was paid. From the Chamber of the United States House of Representatives Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester (1208 – August 4, 1265) was the principal leader of the baronial opposition to King Henry III of England. ... William Maudit, 8th Earl of Warwick (? – 8 January 1267), was the son of Alice de Beaumont and William de Maudit, and the grandson of Waleran de Beaumont, 4th Earl of Warwick. ... Statistics Population: 22,582 (2001) Ordnance Survey OS grid reference: SP295715 Administration District: Warwick Shire county: Warwickshire Region: West Midlands Constituent country: England Sovereign state: United Kingdom Other Ceremonial county: Warwickshire Services Police force: Warwickshire Police Ambulance service: West Midlands Post office and telephone Post town: Kenilworth Postal district: CV8...

After the death of William Mauduit, the title and castle were passed to William de Beauchamp. Following the death of William de Beauchamp, Warwick Castle subsequently passed through seven generations of the Beauchamp family, who over the next 180 years were responsible for the majority of the additions made to Warwick Castle. Beauchamp is a surname that may refer to: Alphonse de Beauchamp, a French historian Bianca Beauchamp, a Canadian fetish model Christine Beauchamp, a patient who was a a case study in dissociative identity disorder George Beauchamp, an American inventor of musical instruments and co-founder of Rickenbacker Jereboam O. Beauchamp...

After the death of the last direct-line Beauchamp, Anne, the title of Earl of Warwick, as well as the castle, passed to Richard Neville ("the Kingmaker"), who married the sister of the last Earl (Warwick was unusual in that the earldom could be inherited through the female line). Warwick Castle then passed from Neville to his son-in-law (and brother of Edward IV of England), George Plantagenet, and shortly before the Duke's death, to his son, Edward. Beauchamp is a surname that may refer to: Alphonse de Beauchamp, a French historian Bianca Beauchamp, a Canadian fetish model Christine Beauchamp, a patient who was a a case study in dissociative identity disorder George Beauchamp, an American inventor of musical instruments and co-founder of Rickenbacker Jereboam O. Beauchamp... Anne Beauchamp (1426 - 1492) was the daughter of Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick and the mother of a queen of England. ... Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick (1428—April 14, 1471), was also known as Warwick the Kingmaker. ... Edward IV (April 28, 1442 – April 9, 1483) was King of England from March 4, 1461 to April 9, 1483, with a break of a few months in the period 1470–1471. ... George (Plantagenet), Duke of Clarence (October 21, 1449 - February 18, 1478) was the third son of Richard, Duke of York and Cecily Neville, and the brother of King Edward IV of England. ... Edward (Plantagenet), Earl of Warwick, (February 25, 1475-November 28, 1499) was the son of George, Duke of Clarence, and a potential claimant to the throne during the reigns of both King Richard III of England (1483 - 1485) and his successor, Henry VII of England (1485 - 1509). ...

Modern times

After passing through the hands of 20 more Earls (and three more creations of the title), Warwick Castle has now become a member of the Treasure Houses of England, a heritage consortium founded in the early 1970s by ten of the foremost stately homes in England still in private ownership with the aim of marketing and promoting themselves as tourist venues. In 1978, Warwick Castle was sold to the Tussauds Group, a large visitor attraction business. The Tussauds Group have performed extensive restorations to the castle and grounds in addition to opening its gates to the public. The Treasure Houses of England is a heritage consortium founded in the early 1970s by ten of the foremost stately homes in England still in private ownership, with the aim of marketing and promoting themselves as tourist venues. ... The Tussauds Group is a large vistor attraction business operating primarily in the United Kingdom, in addition to five other countries. ...

External links

• Warwick Castle
• Views of Warwick Castle in Old Postcards
• Warwick Castle in photos

Gallery

Wax figure display inside the castle Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2560 × 1920 pixel, file size: 2. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

A room inside the castle Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1920 × 2560 pixel, file size: 2. ...

Exhibit inside the castle Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1920 × 2560 pixel, file size: 2. ...

Torture device in the castle dungeon Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1920 × 2560 pixel, file size: 2. ...

Coordinates: 52.28062° N 1.58513° W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...