Kenilworth Castle

Most of the castles we've visited have been, in not downright small then at least compact. This place is really huge. It is spread out over acres and has many different structures in it.

 Wikipedia tells us that...

It has been described by the architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship".^[1]

Kenilworth played an important historical role: it was the subject of the six-month-long siege of Kenilworth in 1266, thought to be the longest siege in Medieval English history, and formed a base for Lancastrian operations in the Wars of the Roses. Kenilworth was the scene of the removal of Edward II from the English throne, the perceived French insult to Henry V in 1414 of a gift of tennis balls (said by John Strecche to have prompted the campaign that led to the Battle of Agincourt), and the Earl of Leicester's lavish reception of Elizabeth I in 1575. It has been described as "one of two major castles in Britain which may be classified as water-castles or lake-fortresses...".^[2]

Visiting this place on a warm summer's day is a joy. The well-kept gardens (about which more later) and the extensive ruins are fun to wander. It is a bit of a wonderland for the history buff.

From this angle, we see some of the many stained glass windows that once adorned the chapel.

I realize that the grounds were not kept with a well manicured lawn when this place was occupied. However, it is certainly nice to see the bright green next to the somber stone walls and let me imagination run away with what it might have been like.