WARWICK CASTLE
Warwick Castle lies in the town of Warwick in the county of Warwickshire in central England and overlooks the River Avon.
The castle today is a popular tourist attraction and attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world.
 HISTORY OF WARWICK CASTLE
Legend has it that the first fortifications of significance at Warwick Castle were erected by Ethelfleda, daughter of king Alfred the Great, in the year 914. These almost certainly replaced even older wooden fortifications, which had proven ineffective against marauding Danes who had sacked the town in the reign of her father. They were part of a network of fortifications built to protect the Kingdom of Mercia.
The remains of these ancient fortifications can still be seen on top of a large mound at the southern end of the castle's courtyard, which is known as Ethelfleda's mound, although most of these remains date from the Norman period.
After the Norman conquest of England in the 11th century William the Conqueror appointed Henry de Newburgh as Earl of Warwick, and he proceeded to enlarge the mound and created a Norman motte-and-bailey castle.
In the year 1264 the castle was sacked by the forces of Simon de Montfort and he imprisoned the then Earl and his countess at Kenilworth (they were supporters of the king against the barons) until a ransom was paid. After the death of this earl the title and the castle was passed to the Beauchamp family, who over the next 180 years were largely responsible for most of the fortifications that can be seen today.
The castle was then owned by various Earls of Warwick (including Richard Neville, the Kingmaker) until 1978 when it was sold to the Tussauds Group, the company that owns Madame Tussaud's in London, which carried out extensive restorations to the castle and opened it to the public.
It is said to be the best-preserved castle in Britain.
Currently Warwick Castle houses a working scale mode trebuchet. The trebuchet can be fired by members of the public under professional supervision. It stands 19 m tall and uses a 6-tonne counterweight to fire 15 kg stone balls distances exceeding several hundred feet. Other attractions include "Warwick, Ghosts Alive," "Winged Warriors" (a bird show, featuring bald eagles, vultures, and hawks), an archery display, and the "Kingmaker" Exhibit. These are only open at certain times of the year however.
GHOST TOWER
The Watergate Tower at Warwick Castle is also known as the ghost tower and for most of the year it is home to Warwick Ghosts Alive. Ghosts Alive is a short live action show that tells the story of Fulke Greville's murder. The show uses live actors, sound, lighting and visual effects.
From Wikipedia.org, the Free Encyclopedia
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