AMAZING DAY in WARWICK CASTLE

 Warwick Castle as it celebrates 1,100th birthday

DO YOU KNOW ????

•  Alfred the Great’s daughter Ethelfleda started things off when she put a fort on the site in 914AD. It was one of ten in the kingdom of Mercia aimed at fending off the Vikings. However, most of the remains on what’s called Ethelfleda’s Mound, south-west of today’s castle, date from the later Norman period.

• The more traditional-looking castle that developed into what we know today was built by William the Conqueror in 1068, two years after the Norman conquest of England, to keep control of the Midlands as he advanced northwards.

•  In 1153, the wife of Roger de Beaumont, 2nd Earl of Warwick, mistakenly handed the castle over to the invading army of Henry of Anjou (later Henry II) after she was tricked into believing her husband was dead. As if that wasn’t bad enough, Roger de Beaumont actually did collapse and die when he heard what she had done. Double disaster. But all was not lost - Henry later returned the castle to the Earls of Warwick.

• Under the ownership of Richard Neville – 16th Earl of Warwick, wealthiest peer of his time – Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king, Edward IV. After he removed two kings from power, Neville justifiably earned the name of The Kingmaker. But that status didn’t last as Neville was killed in battle when Edward IV fought to get the throne back.

•  In 1312, Piers Gaveston, the exiled 1st Earl of Cornwall, was imprisoned in Warwick Castle. Gaveston was a favourite of Edward II and it’s implied by medieval writers that they were lovers. Whatever the truth, Gaveston’s exclusive access to the royal household caused anger and resentment among the nobility and he was was captured, imprisoned at Warwick Castle and executed at Blacklow Hill near Warwick, where a stone cross marks the spot. Edward II is famously rumoured to have been executed by the insertion of a red-hot poker.

• It’s often hosted royals - as guests or prisoners. Queen Elizabeth I visited the castle in 1566 during a tour of the country, and returned in 1572 when she stayed for four nights. A timber building was constructed inside the castle for her to stay in. In 1868, Queen Victoria also visited the castle. Our current monarch, Elizabeth II, paid a visit in 1997, while Diana, Princess of Wales, delighted crowds when she came to Warwick Castle on July 8, 1986.

• The castle’s defences were increased in the 1640s to prepare for the English Civil War, when Royalist forces laid siege to the castle. Warwick Castle withstood the attack and was later used to hold Parliamentarian prisoners.

• Warwick Castle has some links to the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. When the conspirators heard their plot had failed, they fled and stole cavalry horses from the stables at the castle to help in their escape.

•  Landscape architect Capability Brown improved the layout of the castle grounds around 1750.

•  Despite all its royal and noble guests - or perhaps because of them - Warwick Castle wasn’t always open to public visitors. It wasn’t until 1900 that a ticket office and guide were reported to be in place.

• The castle is one of the most visited stately homes in the UK. Warwick Castle is the biggest single tourist attraction in Warwickshire and was named one of Britain’s Top 10 historic houses and monuments in 2001 by the British Tourist Authority, the tourist board of Great Britain.

• The castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and Grade I listed building, with a collection of armoury second only to that of the Tower of London.

• Over its long history, it has been owned by 36 different individuals, plus four periods as Crown property under seven different monarchs.

•  It was the family seat of the Earls of Warwick, which included inheritance through the female line so the castle has had three woman or girl owners.

• Eleven of the monument’s owners were under the age of 20 when they inherited, including a girl aged two and a boy aged three. At least three of the owners died in battle, while two were executed and one murdered.

• As well as royals, several politicians have popped in too, including Mo Mowlam and John Prescott, both in 2001.

•  Scores of celebrities have also been to the castle. They include TV presenter Anthea Turner, who was there in 1997, as well as a host of top pop stars who chose it for fantastic open-air concerts. Music acts who have performed at the castle include Will Young, Anastacia, Simply Red, Status Quo, The Beach Boys, Cliff Richard, Donny Osmond, Rod Stewart, UB40 and Tom Jones. Next up is Paul Weller, who is set to play there on July 11.

•  It was also a castle for Europe. When the Eurovision Song Contest was held at the NIA in Birmingham in 1998, a delegation of contestants came to visit the castle.

• With all its historical connections to the Age of Chivalry, and with Merlin Entertainment as its owner, it’s no surprise that the castle has built some links to the legend of King Arthur through its exhibit Merlin: The Dragon Tower, which opened in 2011 and is based on the BBC TV series.

• Several stars from the series - including Anthony Head (King Uther Pendragon), Angel Coulby (Guinevere), Katie McGrath (Morgana) and Warwick Davis (Grettir, gatekeeper to the lands of the Fisher King) - turned up to launch the attraction. It’s worth noting that the castle has no documented associations with Arthurian myth - except for standing in as the gates of Camelot in the 1954 movie Prince Valiant starring Robert Wagner, James Mason and Janet Leigh.

• The world’s most powerful catapult - a medieval weapon called the trebuchet - is based there. The trebuchet is nearly 60ft tall and weighs 22 tonnes, and is capable of hurling projectiles a distance of almost 1,000ft. It claimed the record of most powerful catapult in 2006 when it flung a 29lb missile more than 800ft at a speed of 160mph. Enough to bring down any mythological dragon, even one voiced by John Hurt.

•  Although there aren’t really any flying dragons, the castle does have some impressive birds of prey. Nikita, a stellar sea eagle with an 8ft wingspan and a deadly-looking beak and talons, was added to the ferocious flock at Warwick Castle in 2008, and has just been joined by the UK’s only free-flying Andean condor – the world’s largest bird of prey with a wingspan of over 10ft.

 [http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/21-things-you-might-not-6949094]