Kenilworth Castle

987 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Importance of tourism

On first look, Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, England, seems more like an abandoned ruin than an information-packed historical museum. Guests mill around the ruins, feel the stones, peer out between small tower windows, and stroll across the green hill into the gardens. There are not very many guides leading tours, at least during the winter, and those “telephone-like” self-guided tours squawking in visitors’ ears at so many public museums are nonexistent. Instead, Kenilworth Castle is allowed to steep peacefully in the misty air, refreshingly under-hyped. Visitors are invited to create their own historical journey, or treat the ruins like a big playground—they are not forced to walk through winding passages of decorated informational poster boards and paintings before seeing the actual ruins. The castle is of Norman origin, and its history spans “more than five centuries” (Kenilworth Castle & Elizabethan Garden). If was built “around 1120 by Geoffrey de Clinton who was Henry I’s Lord Chamberlain,”(Kenilworth Castle) and was later passed from Henry II and King John (1210-1215) to King Henry III. Henry III continued John’s work reinforcing the castle as a fortress, and then gave the castle to Simon de Montfort, whom he later ended up fighting. After a battle against Simon’s son, Henry III was victorious and his son, Edmund Earl of Lancaster, inherited the castle in the 1300s. In later years, important families like the Tudors moved into the castle (1492), and it became more of an elaborate home than fortress, though the castle’s remaining defenses were damaged by Parliament in the Civil War (Kenilworth Castle). Kenilworth is most widely known today as a palace when Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester and a favorite of Queen ... ... middle of paper ... ...y day—it requires effort on the part of the visitors, who are given the opportunity to decide which events pique their interest and are worth attending. The uniqueness of Kenilworth Castle does not lie in its ability to give its guests a smorgasbord of entertaining activities every day; a more relaxed atmosphere reigns here. Visitors are given the opportunity to physically interact with over five centuries of history and to walk through the ruins of Britain’s past, only at their own pace. Works Cited "Kenilworth Castle & Elizabethan Garden | English Heritage." English Heritage Home Page | English Heritage. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. . "Kenilworth Castle." TimeRef - Medieval and Middle Ages History Timelines for Kids and Adults. Web. 04 Apr. 2011. .

Show More
Related

  • The Ulster Folk and Transport Museum, Cultra, Co. Down, Northern Ireland

    3546 Words  | 8 Pages

    In this context, the opening of the Ulster Folk Museum, located in Cultra in County Down, Northern Ireland (and now linked to the Ulster Transport Museum), in 1964, might theoretically be seen as a strategy in the ongoing attempted maintenance of unionist hegemony and social control in Northern Ireland. This might especially be assumed in that the early 1960s were a time when pressure for reform in Northern Ireland was increasing, and when the governing unionist coalition was fracturing, partly under the strains of early deindustrialisation.[8] Such a tourist site might also be seen as a propagandistic effort to appeal for political support (or reduced political opposition) from those with ancestral links to Ulster and its “traditions” in the wider diaspora. There are however manifold reasons for thinking that it may be rather too tempting to exaggerate the political intentions behind the formation of such a museum at such a time. Foucauldian notions of the exertion of knowledge-power over the human body have been rightly criticized (even when applied to more favourable contexts) in that they fail properly to address complicated questions of agency and the issue of in whose interest any given strategy was exerted.

    Read More

  • Portchester Castle

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    A typical feature of a concentric castle is the protective wood work at the top of the walls. We cannot tell whether this was a feature of Portchester Castle because any evidence would have rotted away.

    Read More

  • Elizabeth Farm

    532 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hidden behind nature, there are some of the most beautiful and historical homes in Parramatta. The most well known home in this area is Elizabeth Farm, which once you actually enter it, you realize that it is far from a farm.

    Read More

  • The castle review

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Castle, directed by Rob Sitch, is an Australian comedy, which delves into the lives of a stereotypical Australian family, the Kerrigans. The film touchs on issues close to home in a humourous way. The audience is introduced to the classic Aussie family, narrated in the viewpoint of the youngest of the Kerrigans, Dale.

    Read More

  • Architectural Designs Of Castles Vs. Modern Homes

    1192 Words  | 3 Pages

    Castles in the Middle Ages were built primarily for defense in war. They were constantly being attacked so they had to be built very strong and almost impenetrable. Castles were very large to protect from invaders, but they were definitely not made for comfort. They were very dirty inside, but their main purpose was for defense. Castles were built with very strong walls. Some of the castles had walls that could be as big as thirty feet thick. They also had multiple walls so that if invaders got past the outer wall they still had to get past one or two more, this made defending the castle much easier. The walls were constructed with narrow, wedge-shaped slits in them for archers to shoot arrows at invaders. The outer walls also had holes in the floors for defenders to drop rocks down on invading people who had gotten through the first wall. These holes were called murder holes. Inside the castle were many knights, archers, and soldiers prepared to defend against anyone who breaks all of the way through the walls and gets inside of the castle. Castles also had very large gates and gatehouses to let people into the castle. There was a gatehouse for each wall. Each gatehouse usually had a very large metal and wooden gate that could be lowered into the opening to stop an enemy from getting in or it could be raised to let friends in. Besides huge gates, outer gatehouses also had drawbridges, which could be lowered across moats to let people into the castle. They were also raised to prevent people form getting across. Castles were also built in strategic places so that they could use natural defenses. For instance, some castles were built on the sides of mountains. Others were built in places with many trees surrounding them. Some were built near lakes and rivers, but most of them had moats dug around them.

    Read More

  • Empress Wu and Buddhism: A Symbiotic Relationship

    2294 Words  | 5 Pages

    “A Pilgrim’s Visit to The Five Terraces Mountains”. Making of the Modern World 12: Classical & Medieval Tradition. Trans. Richard F. Burton. Ed. Janet Smarr. La Jolla: University Readers, 2012. 108-110. Print.

    Read More

  • The Castle

    796 Words  | 2 Pages

    Australia has the terrible condition of having an essentially pointless and prefabricated idea of “Aussiness” that really has no relation to our real culture or the way in which we really see ourselves. We, however subscribe to these stereotypes when trying to find some expression of our Australian identity. The feature film, The Castle, deals with issues about Australian identity in the 1990’s. The film uses techniques like camera shots, language and the use of narration to develop conflict between a decent, old fashioned suburban family, the Kerrigans and an unscrupulous corporation called Airlink. Feature films like The Castle are cultural products because they use attitudes, values and stereotypes about what it means to be Australian.

    Read More

  • The Purpose of Thornbury Castle

    1757 Words  | 4 Pages

    middle of paper ... ... ngland. Also if you were building a castle for the purpose of serious defence then you wouldn't build it next to the church making an obvious weakness. In contrast to that some historians though believe that Thornbury was the 'Last genuine castle' "The last English castle to be built with a serious purpose of defence" This quote was written by W. Douglas-Simpson I don't agree with this because buildings like Deal castle were built after Thornbury started being built in the 1540's and this fort was built by Henry VIII were built in case of possible intrusions of other European powers faithful to Rome after Henry turned his back on the catholic religion.

    Read More

  • Glass Castle

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    As I read the Glass Castle, the way Rose Mary behaves, thinks and feels vary greatly and differently throughout the memoir. The immediate question that pops up in my mind is to ask whether Rose Mary carries some sort of mental illness. Fortunately, given the hints and traits that are relevant to why Rose Mary lives like that in the memoir, we, the readers, are able to make some diagnosis and assumptions on the kind of mental illness she may carry. To illustrate, one distinctive example is when Rose Mary blames Jeannette for having the idea to accept welfare. “Once you go on welfare, it changes you. Even if you get off welfare, you never escape the stigma that you were a charity case.” (188). In my opinion, Rose Mary is being nonsense and contractive in her criticism, because of Rose Mary’s resistances to work and to accept welfare, it often causes a severe food shortage within the family that all four little children have to find food from trash cans or move on with hunger, which could lead to a state of insufficient diet. More importantly, having welfare as a way to solve food shortage, it can certainly improve those young Walls children’s poor nutrition and maintain their healthy diet, but Rose Mary turns it down because she thinks it is a shame to accept welfare despite their children are suffering from starvation. Another example will be when Rose Mary abandons all of her school work for no reason. “One morning toward the end of the school year, Mom had a complete meltdown. She was supposed to write up evaluations of her students’ progress, but she’d spent every free minute painting, and now the deadline was on her and the evaluations were unwritten” (207). This is one of the moments when Rose Mary shifts all of her attentio...

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Cultural Imperialism In Art Museums And The Ritual Of Citizenship?

    1001 Words  | 3 Pages

    Duncan’s (1991) analysis of western museums is defined through the theme of “durable objects” as a criterion to judge the heritage of American and European art as a ritual of the modern state. In this manner western art museums are built like “temples” as a symbolic and figurative representation of greatness of western culture throughout the world: “[They] are more like the traditional ceremonial monuments that museum buildings often emulate—classical temples” (Duncan 90). This interpretation of American/European museums defines a dominant source of cultural heritage that ritualizes

    Read More

  • The Inn in the Fall

    966 Words  | 2 Pages

    As visitors approach one of the most beautiful inns in North Carolina they will be serenaded by the rhythmic thumping of the tires as they cross each cobblestone. The inn is like a massive wall of rocks that looks to be touching the blue sky. The red tile roof looks like a red cloud sitting atop this castle of rocks. These rocks were placed over one hundred years ago and still stand in their exact spot. From the parking area you can almost imagine the horse drawn wagons that had worked so hard to pull these massive boulders up to this very spot. You can see all the hard work that had went into clearing this mountain side for the inn to begin construction in the year 1912. If you listen very close you can just hear its history calling out to you.

    Read More

  • The Significance of Benin Art and Artifacts

    1182 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...troversy as all countries have lost, to a great or lesser extent, treasures of national renown and significance over time. Wars, theft, treasure seeking, changing boundaries and migration have all in some way contributed to this diaspora of art. There is clear evidence that the historic placing of objects in locations remote from their origin has on occasion afforded protection and preservation, The Elgin Marbles in The British Museum being a case in point. However, given the overarching principle of self determination it is difficult to argue that serendipitous historic placement is sufficient reason for items of true national heritage to be kept indefinitely. A world-wide system of touring exhibitions and cultural exchange, with context being provided by the originating society may provide the natural progression to the accessible widening of people’s experiences.

    Read More

  • The Tower of London

    1239 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Tower of London arose as a result of the fight concerning who would succeed King Edward the Confessor as the next King of England. King Edward had initially promised William I, the Duke of Normandy, that he would have the throne upon King Edward's death. However, upon his deathbed, he was persuaded to relinquish the throne to his brother-in-law Harold, Earl of Wessex, who was English. This enraged Duke William, who led his army into England from France to obtain what he considered was his rightful throne. He easily defeated Earl Harold at the Battle of Hastings and was crowned King of England on Christmas Day. However, Duke William-who was now called King William the Conqueror-was in a country that was largely hostile toward him. In order to provide protection for himself, he built wooden forts across the country. Realizing that he needed a more permanent structure to show the English he was there to stay, and in case of a large attack, he decided to build a fortress to protect himself.

    Read More

  • Importance Of Medieval Architecture

    1068 Words  | 3 Pages

    The first castles built (Motte and Bailey) were made of wood and quick to build, but they were burnt and worn down easily, so the next castles were made of stone. (Square keeps) They were tall, strong, large and lasted long, but attackers would surround the castle and wait for ages for the people inside to come out. The third castles (Shell Keeps) were even stronger, but because they were made of heavy stone, they might collapse. So finally, the fourth castles (concentric) were built and they were the strongest, largest most defensive and most expensive castles built.

    Read More

  • Windsor Castle

    385 Words  | 1 Pages

    The most impressive structure of Windsor Castle is the Round Tower, or Keep, which stands 80 feet high. According to tradition, King Arthur sat with the Knights of the Round Table within this tower. Surrounded by a moat, it was also used as a prison until 1660.

    Read More

More about Kenilworth Castle

Open Document