Castles existed in today’s England since Roman
times. It was the Normans, though, who developed the castle-making art that we know. The
effects of the Norman Conquest in 1066 on architecture were highly visible and
long-lasting. The Normans inaugurated a huge program of castle-building and changed the
face of the English landscape forever.
There are many castles in other countries in
Europe too, but nowhere can you find that many restored castles as in England, partly due
to the work of English Heritage. The high number of Castles in England
is due to the fact that England was threatened throughout the centuries with an invasion
from France, or had never-ending wars with the Scots or the Welsh, so the need of
building fortresses was natural.
You will find magnificent castles wherever you
are in England. Even if you are in the centre of the capital city, you can visit the
astonishing Tower of London. At the border with Scotland, in
Northumberland you will find a myriad of castles, and next to the Channel, you’ll find such
majestic castles like The Dover Castle.
Some English Castles are very
well kept and are currently visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists yearly, like the
royal Windsor Castle, the magnificent Leeds Castle or Hever Castle. Some castles stand in ruins like
the Kenilworth Castle or Bodiam Castle, but they are still a magnet for visitors from
across the world.
Other castles, on the other hand, cannot even
be found, like the case of the Camelot Castle, the legendary Arthurian
Castle.
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