Warwick Castle

Hey everyone!!

This morning I walked to the bus stop and rang Nan who was admitted to hospital yesterday. Thankfully she's doing a little better today and it was fantastic to speak to her :)

I caught the bus to Warwick and walked to Warwick Castle. I was so annoyed at myself when I realised if I had booked my ticket online a week ago I would have saved £7, but instead I had to pay nearly £25 admission. So annoying considering I've known literally since April that today would be the day I went here :( never mind. As it turned out I got my money's worth...

Upon entering the castle grounds I realised that due to it being summer school holidays here there was a lot to see and do aside from all the regular things on! So I spent my day wandering and looking around at various parts of the castle in between attending shows etc. 

Warwick Castle is the oldest standing medieval castle in England. There's been a fortification on this site since 914 and they celebrated the 1100th anniversary last year - amazing! The first fort on the site was built by Ethelfleeda, to protect from the Vikings as Warwick was the most northern point before encroaching on the territory they had claimed. It was then taken over in 1068 by William the Conqueror after winning the Battle of Hastings in 1066. If you'd asked me a year ago about all this I would've been relatively clueless. So proud of how much I've learned this year! He knocked down Ethelfleeda's fort and built a castle in case he needed to retreat, and divided the country into counties, creating the position of an earl in each county. After he and his son died, Henry Beaumont (the first earl of Warwick) inherited the castle, and until 1471 the earl or countess of Warwick lived in the castle. In the 1300s one of the earls (Thomas Beauchamp) collected a huge ransom for French prisoners and became very rich, using the money to build more on the castle. The 16th and last earl was Richard Neville, 'the Kingmaker' who made Edward III king. When he stopped obeying Richard's orders he instead made Henry VI king. Edward obviously didn't like this and murdered Richard! In 1499 the castle came into the crown's possession. From this time to 1604 the castle fell into great disrepair and Henry VIII never even visited once (too busy blaming, beheading and divorcing women and contracting syphilis I suppose!). In 1694 Fulke Greville was given the castle by King James I and was converted into a stately home throwing parties and for the owners to live in. In 1978 the Tussaude's Group bought the castle and turned it into the visitor attraction it is today! Whew - sorry about the essay!!! Now for my day....

My first stop was the Rose Garden which was pretty, and had a basalt column in it from the Giant's Causeway in Northern Ireland! I then walked to the castle entrance where a bowman was giving a demonstration. He was really funny! I had a quick look in the great hall and then joined a tour about the castle, but the guide wasn't very good so I left and climbed the walls, ramparts and to the top of Guy's Tower (built c. 1395). Very narrow and steep but a cool view!

My next stop was the actual bowman show at the River Arena. It was the same man and he continued to be hilarious! He told us all about how arrows were used as a weapon in medieval times and shot at some targets. I used to be quite good at archery at school! We all had to clap and cheer at various points which was funny. He also explained that from a distance it's called 'Cloud Shooting' as the archer would shoot at an incline so the arrows would descend quickly upon the enemy, and that I'm medieval times all males 16+ had to be able to shoot s longbow by law. 

I then went and explored the state rooms of the castle and the exhibition called 'Royal Weekend Party'. Apparently Daisy, the 5th countess of Warwick, was renowned for throwing magnificent parties here. She became a socialist as she started to feel for her servants, maids and the poor. So the parties subsided in 1898. The rooms for this exhibition were all made to look as if preparations for a party were taking place. There were wax figures that talked and various clothes laid out. The song 'Daisy Bell' was playing on a piano and in another room. I had an instant flashback to my Mum pushing me on the swing in our backyard singing it to me as a little girl 'Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy, all for the love of you. It won't be a stylish marriage, I can't afford a carriage. But you'll look sweet, upon the seat, of a bicycle built for two!' I love childhood memories like that, and I love how music can transport you to a memory like that!

Next up was the 1pm jousting show. It was absolutely brilliant! Obviously no one was knocked off their horse, no one died and it was violence free. But seeing how it all worked and the scale of how big the lances were was great. And a jester got the crowd all jeered up - cheering the goodies and jeering the baddies. It was fun!! They made it out to be a contest between the rebels (goodies) and those loyal to the king. If the rebels won (they did!) the king would sign the Magna Carta. 

By the time this ended it was 1.40pm and 50m over in the field the 'Horrible Histories' stage show was due to start at 2pm. Adam and I used to absolutely love this show when we were little, and to be honest the information I had been presented with in signs and in the tour thus far wasn't adding up. I was being given facts but they were a mishmash and I hadn't quite made sense of them. I learned in year 12 history that the best way to learn and understand complicated history is to go back to basics and read a kids' book or watch a kids' show. So there I sat, the oldest person at the show who wasn't a parent. And I had a great time! It was hilarious! It was two men acting out all different parts to songs and jokes and sure enough my understanding of the castle all came together to help me produce the information up there! ^^ Some of the humour was lost on me due to references to UK TV shows etc but I understood most of them! Fun fact Friday (love it when that happens and it's actually Friday!) did you know 'Humpty Dumpty' was actually a song written about a canon in the Hundred Years War in England?

I then went to the 'Time Tower', a presentation summarising the history of the castle in 15 minutes. At the end of this there were pictures on the wall of all the previous owners/inhabitants of the castle. Ethelfleeda was the only woman and a little girl said "Mummy, why is there only one girl?" Her mother's reply was priceless. "Because men used to think they were more important than us, but we proved them wrong!" Perfect! Next I went to the 'Kingmaker' exhibition about Richard Neville. More wax figures for me to get confused with actual tourists in the room!

Then it was time for the 3.30pm 'Birds of Prey' show. Saw an eagle, a buzzard, an owl and my favourite....the Andean condor. Why was this my favourite? Because for those reading who are long time readers, you'll recall that in the first week of my gap year this year I travelled to Colca Canyon in Peru where I saw guess what type of bird flying in the wild? You guessed it - the Andean condor! Absolutely love it when my adventures link up :) This one was a brown juvenile like the ones I saw in January. God they're big, and not even an adult yet!!!! Have put a picture from January underneath the one of today's condor. 

I walked around the gardens, the mound end of the castle, the mill and then made my way out. I spent seven hours in the castle complex! So suddenly £25 admission doesn't seem so bad....still kind of extortionate though!!

On my way back to the bus I went into St Mary's Church. A lot of the previous earls of Warwickshire were buried here. I then caught the bus back to town and replaced some things I left in my hostel in York when I was concussed (that's my excuse and I'm sticking with it!!). 

Getting up at 4.45am to watch the footy. The wifi here is rubbish so might have to use my own data. Fingers crossed for a good game!!

Love to all

Claire

Xoxox