Carisbrooke Castle
Carisbrook Castle is a castle on the Isle of Wight . The Norman castle consists of a large keep , which is surrounded by several walls. The castle is part of the English Heritage .
The donjon dates from the late 11th century and was built on the instructions of Richard de Redvers . The walls around the castle were built from 1262 onwards at the behest of Isabel de Redvers, 8th Countess of Devon . In the 14th century, a gatehouse with two towers added to the fortifications and essentially gave the castle its current appearance. The only - unsuccessful - siege of the complex took place in 1337 when a group of French tried to take the castle. After the passage of the Spanish Armada in 1588 near the Isle of Wight, the defenses were adapted to the military standards of the time. Charles I was imprisoned here from 1647 to 1648 .
The castle's donkeys are a tourist attraction . Since the time of Elizabeth I, these have been drawing water from the 49 meter deep castle well with the help of a treadmill .
In the castle there is an art and local history museum, which was founded in 1898 by Princess Beatrice . Beatrice used the castle as her summer residence and had a museum built there to educate the public. The Carisbrooke Castle Museum is the only museum of its kind founded by a member of the British royal family. The museum has a total of 27,000 exhibits. Much of it deals with the history and culture of the Isle of Wight. Watercolors are particularly important among the works of art.
The castle and museum are visited by around 120,000 visitors each year.
Web links
- Carisbrooke Castle at English Heritage
- Carisbrooke Castle Museum homepage
- Carisbrooke Castle Museum on the BBC
Coordinates: 50 ° 41 ′ 14.5 " N , 1 ° 18 ′ 48" W.