I came here wanting to see a castle...
Ron and I were in the car and he suddenly said.."close your eyes for a minute." A surprise, I thought to myself as I shut them tightly. Moments later he said "Ok, you can look now." There stood before me, a tall old structure with rubble all around it. "That," he said, "is Conisbrough Castle." "You mean...right here in the middle of this neighborhood?" A silly question I know, but it seemed a bit out of place at the time.
Not at all what I imagined a castle to be...but a castle none the less. We drove towards the entrance a parked. The photos below (though they are not mine) are the memories I have of seeing my first castle.
Originally built of wood the castle was converted to stone in the latter part of the 12th century by Hamelin Plantagenet, half-brother of Henry II.
He began building in 1174 and completed the keep, surrounded by walls with towers 15 years later.
It was one of the first keeps in Britain to be built in a round design. The base of the keep is splayed out and has six wedge-shaped buttresses, one of which contains a six-sided chapel.
The immensely thick walls of the 95 foot high tower contain staircases, fire places latrines and hand basins. The keep is notable in having very few windows or loops.
Partially enclosing the keep is a semi-circular bailey. This surrounded by a 35 feet high and 7 feet wide curtain wall supported with solid towers.
Despite its strength, by Tudor times the castle was already in ruins.
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