Helmsley Castle in the UK
Rating: 8,9/10 (141 votes)  This castle is distinguished from the rest by earthen fortifications and two deep ditches, which are cut right into the rock of the mountain on which the castle stands.
The first castle, still made of wood, appeared on this place in the XII century. It was built by Walter Espek, and after his death in 1154, the castle passed to Walter's cousin Peter de Roux. The castle belonged to the Roux family until 1688.
In 1186 the castle was rebuilt into a stone one. The wooden palisade was replaced by stone walls with a pair of entrance gates and round towers. One gate stood in the southeast, and the other in the north. Also, two round towers were added to the castle from the west and east. In the 13th century, barbicans were added to the northern and southern gates to other defenses of the castle. In 1285, the castle was inherited by William de Roux, who also made a significant contribution to increasing its defenses. William reinforced the southern barbican, built several living quarters, and added another tier to the eastern tower. William also built the hall, turning it into a personal suite of unprecedented luxury. From then until the 1560s, the castle remained practically unchanged. Then the hall and the western tower of the castle were turned into a Tudor house of the Gothic style.
For a long time, the defenses of the castle stood idle. However, in 1644 the castle was besieged by the troops of the Parliament for three months. The garrison surrendered the castle only due to lack of food, although the defenses were also badly destroyed. The Tudor house remained intact, but the East Tower was badly damaged.We also recommend reading Schonhausen Palace in Austria, Berlin resort Topic: Helmsley Castle in the UK. |
