This is Warwick Castle, it is surrounded by a picturesque gardens, 500m curtain wall, massive barbican gatehouse and seven great towers. Before this beauty though it was an old Motte and Bailey style castle built by William the Conqueror
as a central hub to move his armies and help control England from a centralised position. 2 years after his conquest up north, he left his most trusted men as constables of the castle. Eventually their loyalty was rewarded
as title of earl.
William Beauchamp (9th Earl of Warwick) 1268-1298 was the first Beauchamp to be given Warwick Castle. Their family held the castle and earldom for seven generations, serving nine of England's Kings. They paid a lot of money into building the castle.
In 1311, Guy de Beachamp and a group of other nobles and the Kings cousin, Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, drew up an incendiary document called the Ordinances. These were a set of rules designed to help get rid of Piers Gaveston, King of the Time Edward II,
most trusted advisor who was a bad influence to the King.
1312 came and Gaveston broke the terms of this conditions on the Ordinances which exiled him from these lands and had returned. Thinking the king would protect him from his enemies, he was kidnapped 25 miles away in Teddington, Beachamp and his
men took him to Warwick Castle were they would hold him to a trial. After a short hearing were he wasn't even allowed to speak he was sentenced to death and was beheaded in Blacklow Hill.
When the King found out. He sought revenge. In ten years, Thomas Earl of Lancaster was dead. Guy Beachamp was gone in three... Thomas Beauhamp the son of Guy was a befriended the Kings son, Edward III and helped him win many battles as one of the most
feared men in the 100 year war with the French. He was nicknamed “the Devil Warwick” and armies and civilians alike cowered at the whisper of his name. He remained a steadfast friend during their time together and for his bravery and loyalty, he was awarded
great riches.
The castle housed prisoners and they were stored in the lower depths of the dungeons of the ground. The French called it the Obliette, its a prison that was situated in a sewer where once to where put in there you was forgotten about. You would either die of starvation or
be driven to dispear by being left in the hollow, cold, pitch black hole which was the latrines to the castle. It was a horrid place to be indeed.
The lines of Beauhamps came to an end and so it passed over to Richard Neville otherwise none as the Kingmaker where he played a large part during the war of the Roses. He helped Edward IV from the house of York. But as they fell out, he and lost favor
with the King, he sought revenge. In 1469 he led a revolt again Edward and his men, Edward was defeated and the King was taken prisoner were he was locked up in Ceaser's Tower in the castle.
He began to run England but all the other noblemen didn't agree on his ruling so he had no choice other than to let him go free. Six months later Edward mustered an army, backed by the Duke of Burgundy. They met in the battle of Barnet, where his army
accidentally attacked itself in the deep fog. Neville tried to flee in but was caught and hacked down. After his death, the castle fell into disrepair for over a century and a half.
In 1604, the castle was given by King James I to Fulke Greville where he spent £20,000 (£4 million in todays money) to repair it and put it back to his it former glory. The castle was used by Robert Greville (adopted son) in 1642 in the English Civil was where it
fought against the Royalist and it managed to hold out the siege and was also turned into a prison to hold prisoners of war there.
After the Roundheads won the war, it made him a lot of money. He used that money to turn the castle from a fortress to a modern palace where the grounds, buildings and decor was improved, refitted the Chapel and a new stable block. But war was a good business
and during peacetime the castle started to cost them family lots of money. With the family getting into debt over the castle.
In 1893 the castle passed into the hands of Frances Evelyn “Daisy” Greville. She was so famous for her time and connected to royalty. She was married but she had many affairs, for nine years she was the mistress to the Prince of Wales. She was known as "The Babbling Brook"
and she was so broke that she tried to sell her memoirs of sleeping with the heir to the throne. After her ownership of the castle. It was passed onto Charles Greville, who went by the stage name, Michael Brooke, but was better known as "The Duke of Hollywood".
He lived a glamorous life in Hollywood but being the Earl of Warwick was a very financially crippling affair. He held the castle from 1928 to 1984, during which time he had to sell of some of the art and armour that his family amassed during their time there.
The armour and Art of the castle are estimated to be worth $16 million at the time he was working in Hollywood. he was employing 200 servants to upkeep the land, there was 20 square miles of ground 12800 acres 24 downstairs dinning rooms. He took movie jobs to help pay it off. Eventually it got sold off to the famous Tussard group
where today it is open to the public to enjoy. It is open 364 days a year and with its significance to English History and stunning design inside and out. It proves a very popular tourist destination in the center of England.