There are castles . . . and there are castles!
Tintagel has its King Arthur myth, thanks to Geoffrey of
Monmouth. Berry Pomeroy is haunted
by not one, but two, ghosts. The
story of Farliegh Hungerford is one of intrigue, murder and a few
beheadings. While these castles
are only ruins today, the roles of Portland, St. Mawes, Pendennis and Dartmouth
castles continued until the end of World War II.
The 11th Century Castle of Goodrich has a good story plus
all the ingredients that make a good castle: a moat, an ancient keep, a
drawbridge and even a dark, dank dungeon.
The castle remained in the family of the great castle builder William
Marshal until 1245 when it passed to Henry VIII’s half-brother William de
Valance who rebuilt it in the latest style. His wife, Joan, added a medieval woman’s touch but it all
ended after the Civil War.
And then there is Warwick Castle!
The original castle at Warwick was begun by William I, “The Conqueror, in the 11thCentury. What you see today is equal parts Disney World and Madame Tussauds’ Wax Museum with a bit of Harry Potter thrown in for good measure. It is a major tourist attraction and at $25 a head, I imagine a real money-maker for the town of Warwick.
The interior rooms look as they would have in the late 19th Century when Daisy Maynard was mistress of the castle – and to Prince Albert among others. We were ‘invited’ to attend a weekend soiree. We sauntered from room to room, mixing with the rich, famous and royals. Some of their conversations were about recent happenings while other things were told to us in confidence. Affairs were condoned as long as they were conducted discretely and Daisy’s husband was very understanding. She even confided in him when she broke it off with Albert.
