by Luke Bamforth

Created on: October 28, 2009

There have been a lot of castles built in Britain over the centuries, many of which have now vanished completely from our landscape leaving little evidence of themselves except for old foundations and brief mentions in the history books. However, despite the lack of conservation in the past many castles can still be seen and are enjoyed by visitors from around the world. They range from the more famous and better preserved castles such as Windsor Castle and the Tower of London, to those less famous and a little less well looked after, such as a personal favourite of mine Peveril Castle, that can be found in the village of Castleton in Derbyshire.

Although the Romans brought stone working skills with them to Britain when they invaded and built stone forts across the country, the Anglo-Saxon people, who settled in what is now England after the Romans left, largely dismissed their style of building in favour of wooden structures. It is not until the Norman conquest of 1066 that castles in the truest sense of the word begin to appear in Britain, when they were built as places of refuge for what was an invading force, a strategy used again in later centuries during England's invasions of Wales and Scotland.

As mentioned previously many of the castles that survive today are in poor states of repair. This is due to a variety of factors. Many castles were abandoned as the surrounding areas became safer in favour of more comfortable dwellings and they were left to fall into disrepair. Over the centuries the stone used to build these obsolete places of refuge was taken to build other buildings nearby including the aforementioned, more comfortable and more fashionable, country houses. However many castles met their demise during the English Civil War between King Charles I and Parliament. It was often the case that after a successful siege, when the defenders had surrendered, the attacking soldiers would use charges of gunpowder to undermine the walls and thus prevent the structure from being used defensively again. Thankfully after much historical mistreatment and neglect, heritage conservation trusts, such as English Heritage, the National Trust and Cadw, are working towards the preservation and in some cases restoration of Britain's heritage, including castles, so that it may be enjoyed members of the public and the generations to come.

Some of the best castles to visit in Britain are built on the borderlands where England meets with Wales or Scotland, a memento

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