Carisbrooke Castle | place with historical importance, interesting place, listed building / architectural heritage, Grade I Listed (UK)

 castle, place with historical importance, interesting place, listed building / architectural heritage, Grade I Listed (UK)

Run by English Heritage. During the English Civil War this Norman castle was the prison for the deposed king, Charles I. He attempted to escape, but being used to a kingly diet, he was a little portly to fit through the window and was caught in the effort.

Although the castle itself was built during the consolidation of Norman power in England following the Norman Conquest, there is evidence that there have been fortifications on this site since at least Roman times. Upgraded many times by many powers, the castle recieved perhaps its most significant facelift during Elizabethan times - the castle's outermost walls were designed to be canon-resistent as well as repelling ground troops. Also during Charles' incarceration, the castle recieved its charming bowling green, inside the outermost defences.

For centuries the seat of the rule of law on the Isle of Wight, sold to the crown in times past. Abandoned during the Victorian times, and restored to it's current state from the mid-20th century onwards. Formerly the site of successful Hallowe'en Ghost Walks, run by the Newport Ghost Walk company.

Like most, if not all English Heritage sites, there is a fee for entry.
www.carisbrookecastlemuseum.org.uk