You didn't mention the fact that many castles were simply abandoned because the need for fortified places were simply not needed as england became very stable and most battles were faught on open ground, this is why city walls were not maintained.By the time of the civil war many castles were already in ruins. In Tudor times stately homes were the fashion. In Europe it was different. Armies were always marching back and forth besieging castles, towns and cities right up to Napoleonic wars.
@Beardless Guy that’s what even just a brief few years as a republic does... nobody’s proud of Cromwell... however, no-one has dared set an angry foot on our island for a thousand years so the castles were kind of redundant...
the title of your video should have been why are so many English castles ruined ..... because soon the UK/Britain will be no more ... Scotland will be leaving soon our place is in the EU and not the vile and corrupt UK
Living on the Welsh borders it's literally a case of: A: "Let's meet at the castle" B: "Which castle? Yours or mine?" They're literally 15/20 minutes apart by car.
It's the same in Ireland haha, I live like a 2 minute walk from a castle, and there's loads more around us, I'm not even phased by a castle anymore I'm just like "oh look a castle, anyway" lol
@@atlasfrog5730 You're not wrong. To the point I've realised castles are not all equal. We have a dilapidated one around the corner from me (Ruperra castle) and only during covid did I discover it. I think most people around the area don't know it's there because its not steeped in royal history. It is a mock castle, so was built in the 1600s rather than a medieval settlement, however it did host King Charles I after the battle of Naseby (around the start of the civil war?) earning the building a royal coat of arms above the entrance.
I am german, coming from a region with much castle ruins. They are much smaller than shown in this video , because build by knights only . In 14th century the great age of german knights culture was over, so poorer knights, up to 1496 in Germany no part of nobility, left ( leaved?) their castles, which fell into ruins by time. Those ruined castles are bought by richer knights or noblemen, not for the castle, but for farmland, meadows , forrests and socalled ,Rechte'/ rights ( hunting, fishing, taxes...) also up to end of german monarchy in 1918, for a farm , which once belonged to a castle, no taxes had to be payed. Those former castle farms could be used for farming, today some are still farms or transformed into inns. At castles, given up in 14th/ 15th century, you often only see small ditches and ramparts. We germans call this ,Burgstall/ Burgstelle' castle place (location). Then in 1525 there was great german farmers rebellion ( Bauernkrieg) in which most of small castles had been destroyed, and never been rebuild. For modern military use, they had been too weak, and for modern knight/ noblemans live they had been no more comfortable and representing. So most knights build either a modern palace, or transformed their castle into a palace. This 16th century palaces, not only transformed castles, still had some kind of rather weak fortificatons, but intended only to protect against criminals. Here in my homeregion, the Dukes of Württemberg transformed five castles with much money and effort into fortresses of first class, and some larger ones with few money and effort into fortresses of second class, but after 17th century ( 30 years war) the importance of this fortresses declined, they also fell into ruins, and Hohentwiel fortress was destroyed by frech engineer troops arround 1800. Sidenote: In my region you can find relicts of roman forts and also Limes border fortifation. And in case of Heidengraben, Ipf and Heuneburg relicts of large celtic fortificatios. Greetings from Germany!.
@@thomaslewis3071 : Look into English language Wikipedia: List of castles in Baden- Württemberg ( My state consists of former Kingdom Württemberg and Great Duchy Baden), next to my village are castles Teck and Hohenneuffen, but there are lots of others, for example fairy tale castles Hohenzollern and Lichtenstein. The noted celtic fortification Heidengraben is also next to my village, and , like Heuneburg and Ipf, also noted in english Wikipedia. Also intressting is Wildenstein castle.
I love Württemberg. I lived in Tübingen (20 yrs ago) for a year. The Neckar river is enchanting in all seasons and just down the road is the Bebenhausen Monastery, next to a nature preserve. I never tire of the arches, halls, and garden. The castle up on the hill and monastery have tours. Germany has a lot of great places, but the Southwest is the best.
I would love to see those castles , and the ones in Great Britain as well . It will cost me a bit as my wife will go to one or two castles but I doubt any more than that where I would would want to see a lot more .So I would have to endure shopping to make up for the castles and battle fields . Auz is a bit lax in castles , and any buildings older than 200 years.
@@TheFortress As long as it's not north of Yorkshire it appears? Sorry it sounds argumentative but Northumberland has more castle sites than any other county in the UK, not even a mention. Good work nonetheless.
the title of your video should have been why are so many English castles ruined ..... because soon the UK/Britain will be no more ... Scotland will be leaving soon our place is in the EU and not the vile and corrupt UK
On a more positive note, I do think that you could look at the slighting of Britain’s castles (alongside the Reformation) as a formative reason why the Romantic movement might have emerged here first (and Germany). You think about British Romanticism though, and it’s hard to not imagine a ruined castle (or ruined abbey).
Very sad. I've seen several castes on my few trips to England and always marveled at them whether they were still kept up or total ruins. Beautiful. Thanks for this video!
I currently live in a house which has parts constructed from the wooden beams that were stollen from Wigmore castle when it was destroyed. They are a fantastic piece of history.
There is another reason why Scarborough castle is in the state it’s in. It was shelled by two German Battlecruisers during WWI as they cruised off the North Yorkshire coast trying to bait part of the grand fleet into a trap and destroyed navigational marks along the coast (they also hit the grand hotel and Whitby Abbey). Many castles retained a military use for a very long time either as barracks and administrative centres but sometimes defensively. A classic example is Pevensey castle. This was built in the 3rd century as a Saxon shore fort. A medieval stone keep was built inside it and the Roman walls repaired. In the late 16th century a gun platform was added to protect against the Armada and in the 18th a Martello tower was built on the shore line in front of it, finally there are concrete WWII machine gun and antitank gun emplacements built into the ancient stone work.
What an absolute bullshit excuse... Almost every notable German city, and a very large portion of cities in neighbouring countries have been bombed to oblivion during the war... Thousands and thousands of medieval buildings have been meticulously been rebuild, just as their innercities. They just cared for their heritage. Almost every chateau worth mentioning in France is in decent or perfect condition. Also survived two world wars and numerous British invasions...they simply cared and rebuild.
@@Snaakie83 the main reason the french chateaux are in good condition is because the German officers occupied the dwellings, most of which fell into disrepair after the war and are now owned and maintained by .......the British. Have another look into your ww2 history.
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@@Snaakie83 Scarborough castle was already slighted beyond any practical use, and was impractical to repair already. The shelling just made it worse, and worth even less to repair. And who paid for the rebuilding of Germany? It certainly wasn't the Germans. It was mostly paid for through the Marshall Plan.
@ I'm fully aware, and that would've been a legit argument if the UK wasn't the country that received 50% of the whole Marshall Plan budget.
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@@Snaakie83 it was shelled in World War 1. The Marshall Plan was the European economic recovery plan after World War 2. Which was a way of securing economic recovery for Europe, while using the money spent to fund NATO and the majority of Europe's defence via US Forces Europe.
When we've toured all over the UK on motorbikes, I'm always amazed at how many castles and ruined monasteries there are dotted all over the country. There are loads of old churches too. We like a good old church😁👍 We have some great history that's for sure👍
I don`t know much about English castle ruins, but i do know that in history past the Scots when retreating would destroy their castles to stop the English troops from gaining control of them, so they had to sleep out in the open vulnerable attacks. mind WE did destroy a few English castles too
The two charities noted have different origins. The National Trust was already in existence pre WWII but post that event was a suitable vehicle for importunate owners to donate their houses and castles to the nation in lieu of death duties. English Heritage was a modernisation of the old Ministry of Works a government body that took over and preservered national ruins of various types that were often available without charge to the public. They are now both charities meaning there are tax advantages to their status in preserving these buildings.
@@backintimealwyn5736 Well there is some via government departments hence death duties for NT via Treasury. The purpose of a charity which is what these organisations are is to make the most of public and government gifts. The problem with charities is the payments made to many of their senior functionaries, though that is a generic statement. The defining function of charities is not to be for private profit bar to support the aims of the charity. Both these charities have government recognition but both have become areas of activation by members with public political interests at a grass root level. I think that is as dispassionate as one can be to all parties and members. It should also be noted that the National Lottery provides funding on an individual basis for specific projects which may be applied for by these organisations among many others. Other historical monuments are such items as churches which are funded by the appropriate body but with the C of E the feeling is the building is basically the responsibility of the congregation which is an almost self defeating object in a parish of a few souls! The constant theft of valuable materials from existing buildings is a matter of difficulty. The Church feels it’s funds should be spent upon its works not upon its structures. Smaller domestic buildings in the communities can sometimes be owned by local authorities who then supposed.y fund them of if owned privately can be served with a notice of repair by a local authority. However this is a matter of variable success.
Visited Ashby Castle in Ashby de la Zouch many times...(I believe you did a great tour video of the location on your other channel). Another victim of the Civil War...but it is upkept very well by E.H. A fascinating historical place and very 'peaceful' to tour. Great new channel btw!! Cheers!
The reasons a lot of these castles are ruined are literally part of our history and can make for another interesting story. After visiting battle abbey and seeing the ruined structures within the walls, I realised this and I am always happy to fill the gift aid form and make a small donation when I visit the actively maintained sites
Castles were constantly being build and torn down throughout the middle ages. Kings probably tore down more castles than post civil-war folks did. Its just that nobody built more castles after that since the nature if defensive fortifications was changing in that era due to the steep rise in the use of fire arms, both large and small.
Cromwell may well have set out w honest intentions but it’s hardly a republic if when you die, leadership is given to none other than your own son. So w that in mind, all the damage done during the Civil War just makes me hate Oliver Cromwell for being the one in the lead of that rebellion.
@@juandavidrestrepoduran6007 I agree. I have too. If everyone has one vote and they continually allow people in whose views, wants & needs are counter to many of those already here, then that one vote becomes less & less valuable. I don’t know the right answer bc communism ain’t it either but the system we’re in now is clearly broken and only benefits those corrupt figures at the top.
Thats not what defines a republic. Regardless; Cromwell sought not to establish his own dynasty as is oft suggested. Richard was genuinely a capable and not corrupt individual; thus being a unfortunate affair. Cromwell had long sought a moral parliament. but it turns out humans are scum (the parliament of saints is worth looking up, rife with corruption and the like). Richard was picked because Cromwell knew him well enough that he was acceptable. Not out of pure nepotism.
@@tisFrancesfault I wasn’t defining a republic, just pointing out that Cromwell’s English Republic was not one. I agree on people being scum though which is why it’s a noble idea, a republic but in practice, it either gets corrupted to suit the needs of the power hungry few or it’s being ran by the choices of the mindless, manipulated masses. Either way isn’t ideal. Ideally, there’d only be those w the purest of intentions put in the positions of power that were too morally proficient to be corrupted. It’d be nice.
I hate him for being so obsessed with hating Catholics he went after protestants because there was one catholic in the family. I'm not exactly fond of Catholics, but to torture a family for decades, have them agree to your demands, but STILL say it's not enough is awful. I read a lot of books on the subject and came to the conclusion that there was NOTHING Charles I could have done to save his life besides never marry in the first place and immediately abdicate and flee the country. By the time he took more extreme steps it was long since painfully clear where parliament was headed already as he wasn't really allowed to see his wife or children. I can't say they had the greatest relationship, but since she was a prisoner that's to be expected. I dunno what they wanted of Charles. Maybe they wanted him to convert another country to protestantism just so he could get a protestant queen? They forbid marrying below his station. Poor guy.
Given their age and original purpose it might be a better question to ask why some are still whole and habitable. How or why did they escape destruction?
I live near Carlisle castle it’s defo worth a walk round. There’s some interesting possible Templar carvings in one of the walls. Keep up the good work 👍
In Wales, the country with the most castles per sq mile there are people who have never set foot inside a castle because they are symbols of oppression. They are pretty today but when they were fully functional they were terrifying. They were places where people could be hauled away and tortured to death for 'poaching' a rabbit.
In all but name Cromwell created a religious autocracy .He too , dissolved parliament , alienated the Scots and Irish , and left the people longing for the return of the Monarchy
Great video. I've had the best time visiting most of the major ones in England and Wales. Another factor is many have half-built interior sections/walls because they ran out of funds during construction. Leeds Castle is one example if I remember correctly. Was surprised at how many were never properly finished.
Amazing video! Very informative! I've always been interested in knowing how these ruined castles came to be. Oliver Cromwell! 🙄🙄☹️ Weather is an acceptable reason but deliberately slighting them is just horrific! 😢😢 Love your channel 😊❤️ from Singapore 🇸🇬
I used to visit Corfe Castle often as a child. It must have been an incredibly imposing sight sat on that hill. I wonder how far back in time fortifications on that location go?
I remember going to Scarborough castle many years ago. It had rained earlier that day, and I remember some of the outermost sandstone felt like porrige.
Scarborough castle is OLD, or at least the site is. There has been a castle or fort there since Roman times, possibly even prior to that. Lived there for ten years.
Norwich Castle is in quite good nick, having been used as a prison and then turned into a museum. They're currently restoring the keep to it's medieval state.
When mentioning the slighting of castles in the Civil War, you could have mentioned the tower of Bridgnorth Castle, which didn’t collapse completely, but which still leans at a drunken angle. Also, Scotland also has some fantastic castles, Edinburgh and Stirling being particularly notable.
How much of the national wealth is spent on preserving and restoring national treasures/ landmarks vs how much peed away to propping up corrupt former empire third world countries?
I would say that building an empire/ stealing countries from brown people is in most cases about rulers and other rich people getting richer. Both of you didn't have any say in that, but a mature way dealing with rather difficult history is possible.
Probably more than that too be frank. Many old castles simply have not survived having been long robbed out for their stone, or torn down in the 17 and 1800's to make way for the Country houses and halls of the wealthy landowners or to avoid death duties.
Back in the early eighties I was stationed in the UK and during that time I went to various castles and Manor Houses near and far. When I asked a gentleman caretaker of a blackened Scottish castle why the castle looked like it did, he replied "dragons". He then launched a diatribe about how dragons were the last of the dinosaurs and how they were warring with men and losing and how "they launched one last final assault that caused all the damage you see here today".
I've had a few castles go into ruin, have one in my parents ditch, one hidden in the woods in the burned Crain complex, and one along the lawnmower highway as an exit. I thought my self masonry very young
As a boy I would play in Connisbrough castle near Doncaster My school was only 10 minutes from the castle. I am talking about the 50s and 60s .It was quite run down back then. But today it is cared for floors have been put in . and the grounds well kept.I would like to thank the council for taking care of this wonderful castle .
the title of your video should have been why are so many English castles ruined ..... because soon the UK/Britain will be no more ... Scotland will be leaving soon our place is in the EU and not the vile and corrupt UK
Several years ago, my wife and I visited the ruined Pontefract Castle, Shakespeare's "Bloody Pomfret". Rich in history, I was surprised that it was destroyed by the town because they got tired of the fighting around it during the Civil War in the 17th century. Excavations revealed a mosaic floor containing John of Gaunt's Coat of Arms. To save it, they recovered it with soil. The on-site archeologist said it would take $40 million to restore the castle.
I love how people use terms like here with "stolen" and say in archaeology with "robber trench". When talking about reusing the stone of the walls. When in almost any modern context we would say "reuse" or "recycle". I have even heard archaeologists comment to this effect. While in a technical sense some might have been actually stolen, that is taken without permission, with many other cases it was simply a matter of reusing something which had already been abandoned, a lot it being used a short distance away by the person who owned the land (or otherwise had permission to utilize the land and what it contained). Generally I only think of things like what has happened with WW1 warship wrecks being salvaged for their steel as actually being stolen. Since far too often, we simply do not know the permissions or lack thereof at the time they were taken and the term "steal" is quite specific. edit: That said, I don't hold this against anyone, it is just the way people have talked about this kind of thing for such a long time. Also, good video imo.
The British Isles are flooded with medieval and and early medieval history. There is even tons of Roman stuff still around in England. Truly beautiful and rich.
As someone who has often felt sorrow over the destruction of historical buildings, these I do not mourn. Cromwell wanted not only to render castles functionally useless, but symbolically neutered. As a staunch anti-monarchist, I cannot say that I disagree with him―those castles were symbols of oppression, not of a loftier age as so many today conceive them to be. It is for the better that all such symbols of the people's enslavement be laid low and rendered mere archaeological ruins
"It is for the better that all such symbols of the people's enslavement be laid low and rendered mere archaeological ruins". It's possible, and advisable, in the modern era, to separate the politics from the architecture. I'm not religious, but I'd hate to see cathedrals destroyed by people who deemed them, either in the past or the present, to be 'symbols of religious oppression'.
@@anglianreed5218 To Cromwell, those castles were threats as real as they were imagined. For him to destroy them was altogether appropriate. I'm not suggesting it's necessary to level all remaining castle ruins today―that would be wanton and pointless, they are already humbled. But I _am_ saying it is necessary to make all houses of all monarchs everywhere altogether vacant like Cromwell tried to do in his time, and that what Cromwell did to these seats of power was more than justified. What _really_ sucks is when things like the Parthenon get blown up because some occupier decided to stash their powder store there. That's historical destruction brought about with no moral and good goal in mind, unlike these castles, which served wicked purposes and were slain rather like dragons
@@anglianreed5218 I'd also add that cathedrals are usually spaces the public has access to, rather than defensive structures. But if even a church became a source of oppression, I'd rather it burned to the ground than preserved to continue oppressing. If these things becomes sources of such misery in their own time, then it hardly matters what a beard-scratching academic thinks of their beauty a thousand years later―we should walk these castles and _thank_ our predecessors for destroying them, not fictionalize them and carry a torch for kings and empires in our hearts. Or if we are not inclined to thank them, then we should at least understand that what they did mattered more to them and their very lives than it does now to us today
Which castle was at 3:38, with the bridge? It would have been nice if you would have posted the name of the castle shown on every one of the clips, so I know which one I was looking at.
I've always thought Oliver Cromwell to be one of history's greatest villains. A shame what he did to all those fantastic castles, not to mention his other crimes against humanity.
Definitely one of your best videos. It is a question I have often wondered but never done anything about, you explained it all so simply. Many thanks for posting.
These castles can you imagine what they looked like in their glory!? In my opinion they are comparable to the the great pyramids. But that’s modern human evolution let it degrade. “Are sky scrapers won’t” such a idiotic thought.
I'm a member of English Heritage. Due to work and covid I haven't been able to get out much to see my history but I continue to donate. I don't want my culture to disappear.
I went on a tour on a castle in London and made me really thankful I live in the modern era. It's called castle but the hallways are cramped and the area of residence is small compared to modern home, and they still live cramped with others. Just imagine the smell!
Don't forget that a true castle is a military fortification, its primary purpose is defence, not comfort. That is why they are so much smaller inside than they look from outside, because the walls are so thick. Hallways were purposefully cramped because it made them easier to defend and ensured an enemy could not move large amounts of men through them quickly. If you visit a true castle (rather than a house built to look like a castle) you will notice that most of the stair wells circle clockwise meaning attackers could not bring their weapons to bear on defenders. All these are reasons why most of the castles in the UK are not ruins, but simply no longer exist. Most of them were torn down in the 1700's and later to make way for the more comfortable stately homes and halls that had become the new status symbols for wealthy landowners. The castles that still survive to this day are actually in the minority, though to be fair most of the larger, more impressive castles and so called Royal Castles did survive in one form or another as they often became storehouses, barracks or centres of administration for a region, which spared them from being torn down.
I always thought that most castles were now ruins due to neglect and their natural degradation through time, didn't realise they were deliberately destroyed. Very interesting.
I had also wondered about this. Japan has a tremendous number of castles from their feudal era, but for the most part they have been well preserved and in many case, have even been restored, and are beautiful relics of their history. Its quite a shame that Britain's castles weren't similarly preserved.
It's worth to mention that the Japanese have a different approach to preserving historical buildings than Westerners. They're less concerned with keeping everything original compared to us. For the Japanese it's more important to keep and maintain the building as it was originally envisioned, and even if most if not all of the building is replaced by new materials over the years it's still the same ancient castle or temple to them and allowing it to fall into disrepair and thus showing the aging of the building through flaking paint, graying wood and warped or cracked timbers is considered as bad to them as completely refurbishing a historical European castle and replacing all the old stonework with new would be to us. :)
I'm wondering if Japanese castles remained longer relevant than European Castles due to the Shogun period. Thus it would have made sense for the Japanese to upkeep their castles until the second half of the 19th century.
Good video mate :) Sandstone can actually vary in density and hardness from different quarries. But usually people used it because it's moderate to work with. But then again the people who built the castle probably didn't need it to last for 1000 years. Castles that lasted that long usually got many many repairs done in their lifetime.
You said the White Tower was the first. You should check out Colchester Castle (1076) in Essex that was started before The White Tower (1080's) but both were attributed to the same builder. Colchester Castle is a little bit larger then The White Tower but the shape is the same. Also the actual site was in use in Roman times as the Temple of Claudius in the first Roman capital of Britian.
Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and a number of other things are owned by the government, taken during the civil war. They are part of the Royal trust and used by the monarch but not owned by her.
We, the British, tended to make ruins safe, but to leave them as ruins. In Europe and certainly in places like North Africa, the trend, as soon as the country's finances can bear it, to actually "rebuild" the ruins, something you can detect with a modern camera, where the repair shows a different colour to the older remains. Ruins can be much more interesting, Warwick Castle is around 70% Victorian, but good if you enjoy Madame Tussaud's
When I was a young ruffian, we used to go to Castle Acre in Norfolk at night and party...we nicknamed it "arsehole caker" 🤣 Dunno why we went there specifically, castles certainly have an attraction & always draw me in. Good video, thank you 👍👍
It is a shame to see the ruinous state of these sites but such is the way of things. I will be commissioning a several million square foot castle/administration structure in the Norteast area surrounded by the US and Canada. Things are getting interesting, the possibilities have always been there but you have to invest your time in researching the path.
What I don't understand is why beautiful old homes in England are left to rot instead of selling them for an affordable amount so they'll be saved. Makes no sense to me. English Heritage needs to lighten up.
Also, a big building was difficult to maintain, so people stole pieces from old big buildings to build smaller buildings. In Rome, people took the marble facings off to burn it to make lime for farm soil. Roman concrete has iron reinforcement in places inside, so they dug search holes all over it to try to steal the iron for other uses.
also alot of Castles are owned by the English Heritage weather they are in ruin or not. Here is a short list of UK Castles that are NOT a ruin. 1:DOVER CASTLE 2: BOLSOVER CASTLE 3: Alnwick Castle 4: Chillingham Castle
Thanks for this video. The number of ruined castles around Britain had confused me before. I could understand it in France or Italy where the monarchy was abolished a long time ago, but Britain is still a monarchy and while they might be largely obsolete as military structures I would have thought most of them would still be the property of the crown and various associated people
Not all castles would have been held by the monarchy anyway, since local lords would be granted permissions to build them: be too much for just the one family ruling from Westminster to practically administer and control so many castles, especially in peripheral areas, so delegation was necessary to trustworthy vassals. And some castles would stop being useful at certain points, and if they were there purely for strategic purposes, even without a break in control, they'd become unmaintained and ruined: no reason to maintain if the border has changed and it isn't a royal/noble residence. Warfare can also cause castles to be tactically made useless. Urquhart Castle was an important castle on the Great Glen near Inverness in Scotland, acted as an important garrison when it came to conflicts between the Scottish crown and the semi-independent Lord of the Isles, and later Jacobite conflicts. The gatehouse was blown up when the supporters of William of Orange were leaving, to prevent reoccupation. Obviously the Jacobites never ultimately overthrew the supporters of the Glorious Revolution, nor did they even succeed in the siege of the castle, but tactical considerations led to the castle being rendered strategically less useful, especially as more modern fortifications in the area had been developed to compete with it. There isn't always value for the monarch or local power to maintain such castles, and they can even be detrimental if they are in a position to be captured or recaptured by local enemies. I should also note Italy only abolished its Piedmontese monarchy after WWII. Switzerland and France are the longest lived republics in Europe, with Portugal being the third country to permenantly abolish it's monarchy in iirc the 1910s. Castles were, generally, not as militarily/strategically important after the feudal period, long before most monarchies in Europe were abolished.
Castles started as protection for the owner of the land against is enemies For him and is entourage not the poor surfs who built it. The Norman’s used the saxons who there beat at Hastings as slaves to build there places of safety. William the conqueror or william the bastard paid mercenaries to fight for him at Hastings where he usurped the crown of England. But he got is jus deserves in the end. By fall of is horse and dying in agony. While he was dying he asked god for forgiveness. For what he had done to England. The harrowing of the north where he destroyed whole villages and people and destroyed there fields of crops. Hope you have suffered every day since.
Serfs did not build castles, sorry mate. That is in the same place as the myths of Slaves building the Egyptian Pyramids. The very term Freemasons comes from the castle building period in England, when groups of Free Masons would travel from place to place and take work on castle building sites up and down the country. Pretty much all the people involved in building castles in those days were well paid professionals of one trade or another.
I always wanted to know my Corfe was destroyed, seeing it for the last 15 years as I grew up. I knew Dorset was seen as insignificant in the civil war, but the fact they went as far as to destroy our castle is pretty infuriating. I now have another reason to dislike Cromwell.
One of the main problems was cold and damp often they would build a large house in the grounds and abandon the castles specially after the Civil War and the act of union defensive buildings were no longer needed
Supply and demand dictates that as supply increases, costs will go down.... So the solution to getting maintanence and restoration castles more affordable is to write into law that all new buildings must be castles.
I’m ashamed to say I’ve always wondered why so many of Britain’s castles were in ruins given that Britain hasn’t been invaded in 1,000 years … but I never asked the question. I learned so much from this video. Thank you. My opinion of Oliver Cromwell - like so many Americans - comes from the movie made in the 1950s that painted him as this great Puritan hero, much like the Pilgrims. Perhaps he was that, but he was also a bit of a rat. Thanks for this video. New subscriber here!
There's no film that paints Cromwell as a hero in the fifties. The film l think you are referring to was made in 1970. lf you think Cromwell was a bit of a rat you should find out about Charles l.
@@billythedog-309 ah … my bad. I thought the film was older. And I’m no fan of the Stuarts. I just grow to like Cromwell less and less the more I learn about him.
I think you will find the fact that England was not successfully invaded for over a thousand years is very much part of the reason many of those old castles fell into ruin. That and the gradual stabilisation of the country over time. As various lords and nobles stopped fighting each other for land or 'honour' the requirement for castles slowly vanished. Sad fact is that castles, though they look magnificent, are not really very comfortable places in which to live. They are cramped inside as the walls are so thick they take up a surprising amount of the volume of the castle. As the trend among the wealthy landowners moved from castles to more comfortable stately homes then most of the castles were pretty much doomed. Most of them were pulled down entirely to either make room for those large, comfortable country manors and halls, or to avoid death duties. Believe it or not, the survivors are in the minority. There were once thousands of castles in England alone, most of them simply no longer exist save as marks in the fields where their walls used to be.
The video doesn't even touch on the fact that most of Britain's castles aren't even ruins, they straight up no longer exist. Every single village used to have a lord with a castle (well sometimes villages shared one), though these were usually smaller than the giant ones shown in the video. They all got demolished and rebuilt as much more comfortable country houses in the 1600s-1800s. Then, when Britain instituted inheritance taxes, the owners were required to pay a portion of their assessed value in taxes and rather than pay them, a great many got torn down.
Good vid. Nice metastudy here. Example of changing priorities of design engineering companies today. We don't think we need buildings to last this long now... Also priorities of the rich have changed and gap between the rich and poor is just too small now. People are less happy this way but healthier and less poverty generally speaking. Catch 22 for these grand designs.
Many of the British castles were built by William the Conqueror so that he could command and control the lands of the Anglo-Saxon that he had recently conquered with his much outnumbered Normans. Once done, there was no need to maintain and soldier these castles after a couple of hundred years of domesticating them. Canons snd gunpowder made them obsolete by 1450. When the Turks punched holes with canons in the 1500 year old walls of Constantinople, Castles were done.
You didn't mention the fact that many castles were simply abandoned because the need for fortified places were simply not needed as england became very stable and most battles were faught on open ground, this is why city walls were not maintained.By the time of the civil war many castles were already in ruins. In Tudor times stately homes were the fashion. In Europe it was different. Armies were always marching back and forth besieging castles, towns and cities right up to Napoleonic wars.
Poland has a lot of ruined 13th-14th century castles for the same reason.
@Beardless Guy the fuck you on about? We just left them to do their thing
@Beardless Guy that’s what even just a brief few years as a republic does... nobody’s proud of Cromwell... however, no-one has dared set an angry foot on our island for a thousand years so the castles were kind of redundant...
the title of your video should have been why are so many English castles ruined ..... because soon the UK/Britain will be no more ... Scotland will be leaving soon our place is in the EU and not the vile and corrupt UK
@@SaorAlba1970 The sooner you go the better.
Because of this pandemic, not able to go abroad, me and my son we started to visit castles and ruins. England has a lot of history! 🤩
Scotland has even more history.
@@Bruce-1956 I know! 😉
@@Bruce-1956 Wales has a little too !
Don’t get the shot. And go where you want.. it’s called freedom. Refuse to lose it..
@@hondaxl250k0 No it's called immature, petulant irresponsibility.
Living on the Welsh borders it's literally a case of:
A: "Let's meet at the castle"
B: "Which castle? Yours or mine?"
They're literally 15/20 minutes apart by car.
It's the same in Ireland haha, I live like a 2 minute walk from a castle, and there's loads more around us, I'm not even phased by a castle anymore I'm just like "oh look a castle, anyway" lol
@@benzov4487 it could happen if everything falls, and transforms into anarchy, like it happened to Europe after the fall of the Western Roman Empire
Your not wrong ! I grew up in Gwent and there are literally loads of them.
i deliver post in Herefordshire there are 3 castle sites on my round
@@atlasfrog5730 You're not wrong. To the point I've realised castles are not all equal. We have a dilapidated one around the corner from me (Ruperra castle) and only during covid did I discover it. I think most people around the area don't know it's there because its not steeped in royal history. It is a mock castle, so was built in the 1600s rather than a medieval settlement, however it did host King Charles I after the battle of Naseby (around the start of the civil war?) earning the building a royal coat of arms above the entrance.
I am german, coming from a region with much castle ruins. They are much smaller than shown in this video , because build by knights only . In 14th century the great age of german knights culture was over, so poorer knights, up to 1496 in Germany no part of nobility, left ( leaved?) their castles, which fell into ruins by time. Those ruined castles are bought by richer knights or noblemen, not for the castle, but for farmland, meadows , forrests and socalled ,Rechte'/ rights ( hunting, fishing, taxes...) also up to end of german monarchy in 1918, for a farm , which once belonged to a castle, no taxes had to be payed. Those former castle farms could be used for farming, today some are still farms or transformed into inns. At castles, given up in 14th/ 15th century, you often only see small ditches and ramparts. We germans call this ,Burgstall/ Burgstelle' castle place (location). Then in 1525 there was great german farmers rebellion ( Bauernkrieg) in which most of small castles had been destroyed, and never been rebuild. For modern military use, they had been too weak, and for modern knight/ noblemans live they had been no more comfortable and representing. So most knights build either a modern palace, or transformed their castle into a palace. This 16th century palaces, not only transformed castles, still had some kind of rather weak fortificatons, but intended only to protect against criminals. Here in my homeregion, the Dukes of Württemberg transformed five castles with much money and effort into fortresses of first class, and some larger ones with few money and effort into fortresses of second class, but after 17th century ( 30 years war) the importance of this fortresses declined, they also fell into ruins, and Hohentwiel fortress was destroyed by frech engineer troops arround 1800. Sidenote: In my region you can find relicts of roman forts and also Limes border fortifation. And in case of Heidengraben, Ipf and Heuneburg relicts of large celtic fortificatios. Greetings from Germany!.
Oh fantastic! I would love to visit some
@@thomaslewis3071 : Look into English language Wikipedia: List of castles in Baden- Württemberg ( My state consists of former Kingdom Württemberg and Great Duchy Baden), next to my village are castles Teck and Hohenneuffen, but there are lots of others, for example fairy tale castles Hohenzollern and Lichtenstein. The noted celtic fortification Heidengraben is also next to my village, and , like Heuneburg and Ipf, also noted in english Wikipedia. Also intressting is Wildenstein castle.
I love Württemberg. I lived in Tübingen (20 yrs ago) for a year. The Neckar river is enchanting in all seasons and just down the road is the Bebenhausen Monastery, next to a nature preserve. I never tire of the arches, halls, and garden. The castle up on the hill and monastery have tours. Germany has a lot of great places, but the Southwest is the best.
Love the comment, btw, “left” was correct 😂
I would love to see those castles , and the ones in Great Britain as well . It will cost me a bit as my wife will go to one or two castles but I doubt any more than that where I would would want to see a lot more .So I would have to endure shopping to make up for the castles and battle fields . Auz is a bit lax in castles , and any buildings older than 200 years.
Fun fact: Wales and Belgium have more castles per square meter than anywhere else.
Fun fact #2.
Northumberland has more castles than anywhere else in the world.
Apperantly youve never been to Busch Gardens
True
Luxemburg?
@@only-vans really?
Great video. The castles are truly one of the main reasons Britain is an amusement park for history buffs.
Thanks! It really is, history everywhere!
@@TheFortress As long as it's not north of Yorkshire it appears? Sorry it sounds argumentative but Northumberland has more castle sites than any other county in the UK, not even a mention. Good work nonetheless.
@@Luckipete Not very surprising considering the proximity to the Scottish border.
the title of your video should have been why are so many English castles ruined ..... because soon the UK/Britain will be no more ... Scotland will be leaving soon our place is in the EU and not the vile and corrupt UK
@@SaorAlba1970 Sneed
On a more positive note, I do think that you could look at the slighting of Britain’s castles (alongside the Reformation) as a formative reason why the Romantic movement might have emerged here first (and Germany). You think about British Romanticism though, and it’s hard to not imagine a ruined castle (or ruined abbey).
Yes, the slighting of castles and the dissolution of the monasteries didn't destroy the country's history, it's part of it.
Very sad. I've seen several castes on my few trips to England and always marveled at them whether they were still kept up or total ruins. Beautiful. Thanks for this video!
I currently live in a house which has parts constructed from the wooden beams that were stollen from Wigmore castle when it was destroyed. They are a fantastic piece of history.
There is another reason why Scarborough castle is in the state it’s in. It was shelled by two German Battlecruisers during WWI as they cruised off the North Yorkshire coast trying to bait part of the grand fleet into a trap and destroyed navigational marks along the coast (they also hit the grand hotel and Whitby Abbey).
Many castles retained a military use for a very long time either as barracks and administrative centres but sometimes defensively.
A classic example is Pevensey castle. This was built in the 3rd century as a Saxon shore fort. A medieval stone keep was built inside it and the Roman walls repaired. In the late 16th century a gun platform was added to protect against the Armada and in the 18th a Martello tower was built on the shore line in front of it, finally there are concrete WWII machine gun and antitank gun emplacements built into the ancient stone work.
What an absolute bullshit excuse...
Almost every notable German city, and a very large portion of cities in neighbouring countries have been bombed to oblivion during the war...
Thousands and thousands of medieval buildings have been meticulously been rebuild, just as their innercities.
They just cared for their heritage.
Almost every chateau worth mentioning in France is in decent or perfect condition. Also survived two world wars and numerous British invasions...they simply cared and rebuild.
@@Snaakie83 the main reason the french chateaux are in good condition is because the German officers occupied the dwellings, most of which fell into disrepair after the war and are now owned and maintained by .......the British.
Have another look into your ww2 history.
@@Snaakie83 Scarborough castle was already slighted beyond any practical use, and was impractical to repair already.
The shelling just made it worse, and worth even less to repair.
And who paid for the rebuilding of Germany? It certainly wasn't the Germans.
It was mostly paid for through the Marshall Plan.
@ I'm fully aware, and that would've been a legit argument if the UK wasn't the country that received 50% of the whole Marshall Plan budget.
@@Snaakie83 it was shelled in World War 1.
The Marshall Plan was the European economic recovery plan after World War 2.
Which was a way of securing economic recovery for Europe, while using the money spent to fund NATO and the majority of Europe's defence via US Forces Europe.
When we've toured all over the UK on motorbikes, I'm always amazed at how many castles and ruined monasteries there are dotted all over the country. There are loads of old churches too. We like a good old church😁👍 We have some great history that's for sure👍
The Reformation wasn't kind to Abbys.
@@charleshowie2074no
I don`t know much about English castle ruins, but i do know that in history past the Scots when retreating would destroy their castles to stop the English troops from gaining control of them, so they had to sleep out in the open vulnerable attacks. mind WE did destroy a few English castles too
Yup that was used by Robert the Bruce in the war of independence in late 12- early 1300's
are you related to William Wallace?
@@Goblin_Mode every Scottish person is a direct descendant of William Wallace
@@NepheneeGyattRizz yeah there are parts of William Wallace all over the UK
Thanks for all this info, I always wondered what truly happened. I'd love to see these castles.
The two charities noted have different origins. The National Trust was already in existence pre WWII but post that event was a suitable vehicle for importunate owners to donate their houses and castles to the nation in lieu of death duties. English Heritage was a modernisation of the old Ministry of Works a government body that took over and preservered national ruins of various types that were often available without charge to the public. They are now both charities meaning there are tax advantages to their status in preserving these buildings.
don't you have some public funding to protect historical monuments in the UK?
@@backintimealwyn5736 Well there is some via government departments hence death duties for NT via Treasury. The purpose of a charity which is what these organisations are is to make the most of public and government gifts. The problem with charities is the payments made to many of their senior functionaries, though that is a generic statement. The defining function of charities is not to be for private profit bar to support the aims of the charity. Both these charities have government recognition but both have become areas of activation by members with public political interests at a grass root level. I think that is as dispassionate as one can be to all parties and members. It should also be noted that the National Lottery provides funding on an individual basis for specific projects which may be applied for by these organisations among many others. Other historical monuments are such items as churches which are funded by the appropriate body but with the C of E the feeling is the building is basically the responsibility of the congregation which is an almost self defeating object in a parish of a few souls! The constant theft of valuable materials from existing buildings is a matter of difficulty. The Church feels it’s funds should be spent upon its works not upon its structures. Smaller domestic buildings in the communities can sometimes be owned by local authorities who then supposed.y fund them of if owned privately can be served with a notice of repair by a local authority. However this is a matter of variable success.
Visited Ashby Castle in Ashby de la Zouch many times...(I believe you did a great tour video of the location on your other channel). Another victim of the Civil War...but it is upkept very well by E.H. A fascinating historical place and very 'peaceful' to tour. Great new channel btw!! Cheers!
Yet another very interesting and informative video. Thank you!
The reasons a lot of these castles are ruined are literally part of our history and can make for another interesting story. After visiting battle abbey and seeing the ruined structures within the walls, I realised this and I am always happy to fill the gift aid form and make a small donation when I visit the actively maintained sites
Amazing video and very interesting. Same as my local castle is completely ruined. Hadleigh Castle but still nice to visit from time to time
Thanks! I’ve never been there before! I’ll have to have a look into it!
Castles were constantly being build and torn down throughout the middle ages. Kings probably tore down more castles than post civil-war folks did. Its just that nobody built more castles after that since the nature if defensive fortifications was changing in that era due to the steep rise in the use of fire arms, both large and small.
Cromwell may well have set out w honest intentions but it’s hardly a republic if when you die, leadership is given to none other than your own son. So w that in mind, all the damage done during the Civil War just makes me hate Oliver Cromwell for being the one in the lead of that rebellion.
Democracy and republics anyways are very overrated. Sincerely, someone who has lived on one all his life.
@@juandavidrestrepoduran6007 I agree. I have too. If everyone has one vote and they continually allow people in whose views, wants & needs are counter to many of those already here, then that one vote becomes less & less valuable. I don’t know the right answer bc communism ain’t it either but the system we’re in now is clearly broken and only benefits those corrupt figures at the top.
Thats not what defines a republic.
Regardless; Cromwell sought not to establish his own dynasty as is oft suggested. Richard was genuinely a capable and not corrupt individual; thus being a unfortunate affair. Cromwell had long sought a moral parliament. but it turns out humans are scum (the parliament of saints is worth looking up, rife with corruption and the like).
Richard was picked because Cromwell knew him well enough that he was acceptable. Not out of pure nepotism.
@@tisFrancesfault I wasn’t defining a republic, just pointing out that Cromwell’s English Republic was not one. I agree on people being scum though which is why it’s a noble idea, a republic but in practice, it either gets corrupted to suit the needs of the power hungry few or it’s being ran by the choices of the mindless, manipulated masses. Either way isn’t ideal. Ideally, there’d only be those w the purest of intentions put in the positions of power that were too morally proficient to be corrupted. It’d be nice.
I hate him for being so obsessed with hating Catholics he went after protestants because there was one catholic in the family. I'm not exactly fond of Catholics, but to torture a family for decades, have them agree to your demands, but STILL say it's not enough is awful. I read a lot of books on the subject and came to the conclusion that there was NOTHING Charles I could have done to save his life besides never marry in the first place and immediately abdicate and flee the country. By the time he took more extreme steps it was long since painfully clear where parliament was headed already as he wasn't really allowed to see his wife or children. I can't say they had the greatest relationship, but since she was a prisoner that's to be expected. I dunno what they wanted of Charles. Maybe they wanted him to convert another country to protestantism just so he could get a protestant queen? They forbid marrying below his station. Poor guy.
Given their age and original purpose it might be a better question to ask why some are still whole and habitable. How or why did they escape destruction?
Learning of _slighting_ was absolutely heartbreaking. 😔 Thank you for this sadly bittersweet video.
I live near Carlisle castle it’s defo worth a walk round. There’s some interesting possible Templar carvings in one of the walls. Keep up the good work 👍
I’ll have to head up there sometime soon! It’s on the list of castles to visit! Thanks!
To be fair I can't imagine many buildings being in good shape after a half a millennium and in some cases almost a millennium
In Wales, the country with the most castles per sq mile there are people who have never set foot inside a castle because they are symbols of oppression. They are pretty today but when they were fully functional they were terrifying. They were places where people could be hauled away and tortured to death for 'poaching' a rabbit.
In all but name Cromwell created a religious autocracy .He too , dissolved parliament , alienated the Scots and Irish , and left the people longing for the return of the Monarchy
i knew i recognised that voice! top work on both channels my guy!
Great video. I've had the best time visiting most of the major ones in England and Wales. Another factor is many have half-built interior sections/walls because they ran out of funds during construction. Leeds Castle is one example if I remember correctly. Was surprised at how many were never properly finished.
My local and one of my favourites is Lincoln Castle, I also like Cardiff Castle.
Amazing video! Very informative! I've always been interested in knowing how these ruined castles came to be. Oliver Cromwell! 🙄🙄☹️ Weather is an acceptable reason but deliberately slighting them is just horrific! 😢😢 Love your channel 😊❤️ from Singapore 🇸🇬
The Castles are So Beautiful and Historic and I Hope Many will Survive. Thank You Very Much!! 😘😘💖💖🌹🌹💋💋
I used to visit Corfe Castle often as a child. It must have been an incredibly imposing sight sat on that hill. I wonder how far back in time fortifications on that location go?
I remember going to Scarborough castle many years ago. It had rained earlier that day, and I remember some of the outermost sandstone felt like porrige.
Scarborough castle is OLD, or at least the site is. There has been a castle or fort there since Roman times, possibly even prior to that. Lived there for ten years.
@@alganhar1 It must have been a sight to behold when the site was in its prime. Still impressive today of course
Norwich Castle is in quite good nick, having been used as a prison and then turned into a museum. They're currently restoring the keep to it's medieval state.
When mentioning the slighting of castles in the Civil War, you could have mentioned the tower of Bridgnorth Castle, which didn’t collapse completely, but which still leans at a drunken angle.
Also, Scotland also has some fantastic castles, Edinburgh and Stirling being particularly notable.
How much of the national wealth is spent on preserving and restoring national treasures/ landmarks vs how much peed away to propping up corrupt former empire third world countries?
I would say that building an empire/ stealing countries from brown people is in most cases about rulers and other rich people getting richer. Both of you didn't have any say in that, but a mature way dealing with rather difficult history is possible.
One of my favourite pastimes is visiting castles and old churches. We have been to almost 50 but there were about 1000, so a long way to go.
@Stella Hoenheim ? weirdo
@Stella Hoenheim nobody asked you to say nobody asked.
Probably more than that too be frank. Many old castles simply have not survived having been long robbed out for their stone, or torn down in the 17 and 1800's to make way for the Country houses and halls of the wealthy landowners or to avoid death duties.
Back in the early eighties I was stationed in the UK and during that time I went to various castles and Manor Houses near and far. When I asked a gentleman caretaker of a blackened Scottish castle why the castle looked like it did, he replied "dragons". He then launched a diatribe about how dragons were the last of the dinosaurs and how they were warring with men and losing and how "they launched one last final assault that caused all the damage you see here today".
Ok
Lol sounds like a fun caretaker
This is true
Wonderful video! Who doesn't love a castle! 🏰⚔🏹
Thanks Rob! :)
I've had a few castles go into ruin, have one in my parents ditch, one hidden in the woods in the burned Crain complex, and one along the lawnmower highway as an exit. I thought my self masonry very young
I’m a new subscriber cos your content is appealing
As a boy I would play in Connisbrough castle near Doncaster My school was only 10 minutes from the castle. I am talking about the 50s and 60s .It was quite run down back then. But today it is cared for floors have been put in . and the grounds well kept.I would like to thank the council for taking care of this wonderful castle .
Great lesson.🧡
Thanks Elizabeth!
the title of your video should have been why are so many English castles ruined ..... because soon the UK/Britain will be no more ... Scotland will be leaving soon our place is in the EU and not the vile and corrupt UK
England is my fave country and I love the castles I wish I could visit them , I live in Australia and cannot afford to travel there
Several years ago, my wife and I visited the ruined Pontefract Castle, Shakespeare's "Bloody Pomfret". Rich in history, I was surprised that it was destroyed by the town because they got tired of the fighting around it during the Civil War in the 17th century. Excavations revealed a mosaic floor containing John of Gaunt's Coat of Arms. To save it, they recovered it with soil. The on-site archeologist said it would take $40 million to restore the castle.
Shame there isnt a billionaire thats interested in restoring castles
I love how people use terms like here with "stolen" and say in archaeology with "robber trench". When talking about reusing the stone of the walls. When in almost any modern context we would say "reuse" or "recycle". I have even heard archaeologists comment to this effect.
While in a technical sense some might have been actually stolen, that is taken without permission, with many other cases it was simply a matter of reusing something which had already been abandoned, a lot it being used a short distance away by the person who owned the land (or otherwise had permission to utilize the land and what it contained). Generally I only think of things like what has happened with WW1 warship wrecks being salvaged for their steel as actually being stolen. Since far too often, we simply do not know the permissions or lack thereof at the time they were taken and the term "steal" is quite specific.
edit: That said, I don't hold this against anyone, it is just the way people have talked about this kind of thing for such a long time. Also, good video imo.
The British Isles are flooded with medieval and and early medieval history. There is even tons of Roman stuff still around in England. Truly beautiful and rich.
As someone who has often felt sorrow over the destruction of historical buildings, these I do not mourn. Cromwell wanted not only to render castles functionally useless, but symbolically neutered. As a staunch anti-monarchist, I cannot say that I disagree with him―those castles were symbols of oppression, not of a loftier age as so many today conceive them to be. It is for the better that all such symbols of the people's enslavement be laid low and rendered mere archaeological ruins
"It is for the better that all such symbols of the people's enslavement be laid low and rendered mere archaeological ruins".
It's possible, and advisable, in the modern era, to separate the politics from the architecture.
I'm not religious, but I'd hate to see cathedrals destroyed by people who deemed them, either in the past or the present, to be 'symbols of religious oppression'.
@@anglianreed5218 To Cromwell, those castles were threats as real as they were imagined. For him to destroy them was altogether appropriate. I'm not suggesting it's necessary to level all remaining castle ruins today―that would be wanton and pointless, they are already humbled. But I _am_ saying it is necessary to make all houses of all monarchs everywhere altogether vacant like Cromwell tried to do in his time, and that what Cromwell did to these seats of power was more than justified.
What _really_ sucks is when things like the Parthenon get blown up because some occupier decided to stash their powder store there. That's historical destruction brought about with no moral and good goal in mind, unlike these castles, which served wicked purposes and were slain rather like dragons
@@anglianreed5218 I'd also add that cathedrals are usually spaces the public has access to, rather than defensive structures. But if even a church became a source of oppression, I'd rather it burned to the ground than preserved to continue oppressing.
If these things becomes sources of such misery in their own time, then it hardly matters what a beard-scratching academic thinks of their beauty a thousand years later―we should walk these castles and _thank_ our predecessors for destroying them, not fictionalize them and carry a torch for kings and empires in our hearts. Or if we are not inclined to thank them, then we should at least understand that what they did mattered more to them and their very lives than it does now to us today
Still marvellous to behold. Wonderful history and also just sad
Which castle was at 3:38, with the bridge? It would have been nice if you would have posted the name of the castle shown on every one of the clips, so I know which one I was looking at.
I've always thought Oliver Cromwell to be one of history's greatest villains. A shame what he did to all those fantastic castles, not to mention his other crimes against humanity.
I have always been of the same opinion, his legacy is not a proud one.
@@jedtaylorukno
Definitely one of your best videos. It is a question I have often wondered but never done anything about, you explained it all so simply. Many thanks for posting.
These castles can you imagine what they looked like in their glory!? In my opinion they are comparable to the the great pyramids. But that’s modern human evolution let it degrade. “Are sky scrapers won’t” such a idiotic thought.
Danke!
Thanks so much for this! All donations go towards purchasing new equipment for the channel and funding new adventures which we can film and bring you!
I'm a member of English Heritage. Due to work and covid I haven't been able to get out much to see my history but I continue to donate. I don't want my culture to disappear.
I went on a tour on a castle in London and made me really thankful I live in the modern era. It's called castle but the hallways are cramped and the area of residence is small compared to modern home, and they still live cramped with others. Just imagine the smell!
Don't forget that a true castle is a military fortification, its primary purpose is defence, not comfort. That is why they are so much smaller inside than they look from outside, because the walls are so thick. Hallways were purposefully cramped because it made them easier to defend and ensured an enemy could not move large amounts of men through them quickly. If you visit a true castle (rather than a house built to look like a castle) you will notice that most of the stair wells circle clockwise meaning attackers could not bring their weapons to bear on defenders.
All these are reasons why most of the castles in the UK are not ruins, but simply no longer exist. Most of them were torn down in the 1700's and later to make way for the more comfortable stately homes and halls that had become the new status symbols for wealthy landowners. The castles that still survive to this day are actually in the minority, though to be fair most of the larger, more impressive castles and so called Royal Castles did survive in one form or another as they often became storehouses, barracks or centres of administration for a region, which spared them from being torn down.
I always thought that most castles were now ruins due to neglect and their natural degradation through time, didn't realise they were deliberately destroyed. Very interesting.
I had also wondered about this. Japan has a tremendous number of castles from their feudal era, but for the most part they have been well preserved and in many case, have even been restored, and are beautiful relics of their history. Its quite a shame that Britain's castles weren't similarly preserved.
It's worth to mention that the Japanese have a different approach to preserving historical buildings than Westerners. They're less concerned with keeping everything original compared to us. For the Japanese it's more important to keep and maintain the building as it was originally envisioned, and even if most if not all of the building is replaced by new materials over the years it's still the same ancient castle or temple to them and allowing it to fall into disrepair and thus showing the aging of the building through flaking paint, graying wood and warped or cracked timbers is considered as bad to them as completely refurbishing a historical European castle and replacing all the old stonework with new would be to us. :)
I'm wondering if Japanese castles remained longer relevant than European Castles due to the Shogun period. Thus it would have made sense for the Japanese to upkeep their castles until the second half of the 19th century.
Good video mate :)
Sandstone can actually vary in density and hardness from different quarries. But usually people used it because it's moderate to work with.
But then again the people who built the castle probably didn't need it to last for 1000 years. Castles that lasted that long usually got many many repairs done in their lifetime.
You said the White Tower was the first.
You should check out Colchester Castle (1076) in Essex that was started before The White Tower (1080's) but both were attributed to the same builder.
Colchester Castle is a little bit larger then The White Tower but the shape is the same.
Also the actual site was in use in Roman times as the Temple of Claudius in the first Roman capital of Britian.
at 1:02, I assume the black walls hint at a fire, or is it simply tyhe type of rock used?
Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and a number of other things are owned by the government, taken during the civil war. They are part of the Royal trust and used by the monarch but not owned by her.
We, the British, tended to make ruins safe, but to leave them as ruins. In Europe and certainly in places like North Africa, the trend, as soon as the country's finances can bear it, to actually "rebuild" the ruins, something you can detect with a modern camera, where the repair shows a different colour to the older remains. Ruins can be much more interesting, Warwick Castle is around 70% Victorian, but good if you enjoy Madame Tussaud's
When I was a young ruffian, we used to go to Castle Acre in Norfolk at night and party...we nicknamed it "arsehole caker" 🤣 Dunno why we went there specifically, castles certainly have an attraction & always draw me in.
Good video, thank you 👍👍
Loved the visit here Steve I had last year! Such a great free castle to go and have a poke around! Amazing little place.
Hi, an answer to your question, a lot of them were destroyed during "The English Civil War" Corf Castle for an example
Er bit superfluous, as the video talks about this in detail including giving the example of Corfe Castle
It is a shame to see the ruinous state of these sites but such is the way of things. I will be commissioning a several million square foot castle/administration structure in the Norteast area surrounded by the US and Canada. Things are getting interesting, the possibilities have always been there but you have to invest your time in researching the path.
I visited Harlech castle once, a huge party of bored school kids turned up. That's why that castle was ruined. For me at least
What I don't understand is why beautiful old homes in England are left to rot instead of selling them for an affordable amount so they'll be saved. Makes no sense to me. English Heritage needs to lighten up.
Also, a big building was difficult to maintain, so people stole pieces from old big buildings to build smaller buildings. In Rome, people took the marble facings off to burn it to make lime for farm soil. Roman concrete has iron reinforcement in places inside, so they dug search holes all over it to try to steal the iron for other uses.
Perhaps a good subject for a video would be those old castles that were not slighted, and that are still in relatively good condition.
I've been to Warwick Castle, Windsor Castle, Framlingham Castle and Orford Castle when my dad was stationed in England.
also alot of Castles are owned by the English Heritage weather they are in ruin or not. Here is a short list of UK Castles that are NOT a ruin.
1:DOVER CASTLE
2: BOLSOVER CASTLE
3: Alnwick Castle
4: Chillingham Castle
Newcastle . Small castle but still in tact somehow 😂
@@stevenprofit83 is that a joke on the city of Newcastle ? I mean I get it ... but it is really bad joke
@@michaelhawkins7389 well it was a poor effort of a joke 😂😂😂
@@stevenprofit83 lol agreed
You forgot Arundel Castle
Castles and battlefields are a great place to teach youngsters about their heritage!
Cheers for this, interesting that most of these slightings were their own individual acts of parliament
Thanks for this video. The number of ruined castles around Britain had confused me before. I could understand it in France or Italy where the monarchy was abolished a long time ago, but Britain is still a monarchy and while they might be largely obsolete as military structures I would have thought most of them would still be the property of the crown and various associated people
Not all castles would have been held by the monarchy anyway, since local lords would be granted permissions to build them: be too much for just the one family ruling from Westminster to practically administer and control so many castles, especially in peripheral areas, so delegation was necessary to trustworthy vassals. And some castles would stop being useful at certain points, and if they were there purely for strategic purposes, even without a break in control, they'd become unmaintained and ruined: no reason to maintain if the border has changed and it isn't a royal/noble residence.
Warfare can also cause castles to be tactically made useless. Urquhart Castle was an important castle on the Great Glen near Inverness in Scotland, acted as an important garrison when it came to conflicts between the Scottish crown and the semi-independent Lord of the Isles, and later Jacobite conflicts. The gatehouse was blown up when the supporters of William of Orange were leaving, to prevent reoccupation. Obviously the Jacobites never ultimately overthrew the supporters of the Glorious Revolution, nor did they even succeed in the siege of the castle, but tactical considerations led to the castle being rendered strategically less useful, especially as more modern fortifications in the area had been developed to compete with it.
There isn't always value for the monarch or local power to maintain such castles, and they can even be detrimental if they are in a position to be captured or recaptured by local enemies.
I should also note Italy only abolished its Piedmontese monarchy after WWII. Switzerland and France are the longest lived republics in Europe, with Portugal being the third country to permenantly abolish it's monarchy in iirc the 1910s. Castles were, generally, not as militarily/strategically important after the feudal period, long before most monarchies in Europe were abolished.
as an Irishman, I've hated Oliver Cromwell for a long, long time. now, as a historian, I've another reason to hate him even more.
Most blown up or distroyed during the civil war. Also the victorians loved ruins so very few were repaired.
Or the Victorians made their own ruins, The Follys.
I am surprised that Cromwell did not just repurpose such buildings and continue to use them as administrative centres.
There's a few near me; Peveril, Sandal, Conisbrough but their condition is really bad (worse than the ones you've shown).
A castle is ineffective against nukes?
Very quick answer to the title.
They're very old, bet none of you were expecting that.
I went to Corfe Castle in August, it's a shame it was slighted but it's still very impressive and well worth a visit.
Castles started as protection for the owner of the land against is enemies For him and is entourage not the poor surfs who built it. The Norman’s used the saxons who there beat at Hastings as slaves to build there places of safety. William the conqueror or william the bastard paid mercenaries to fight for him at Hastings where he usurped the crown of England. But he got is jus deserves in the end. By fall of is horse and dying in agony. While he was dying he asked god for forgiveness. For what he had done to England. The harrowing of the north where he destroyed whole villages and people and destroyed there fields of crops. Hope you have suffered every day since.
Serfs did not build castles, sorry mate. That is in the same place as the myths of Slaves building the Egyptian Pyramids. The very term Freemasons comes from the castle building period in England, when groups of Free Masons would travel from place to place and take work on castle building sites up and down the country. Pretty much all the people involved in building castles in those days were well paid professionals of one trade or another.
What's wrong with the audio?
I always wanted to know my Corfe was destroyed, seeing it for the last 15 years as I grew up. I knew Dorset was seen as insignificant in the civil war, but the fact they went as far as to destroy our castle is pretty infuriating. I now have another reason to dislike Cromwell.
One of the main problems was cold and damp often they would build a large house in the grounds and abandon the castles specially after the Civil War and the act of union defensive buildings were no longer needed
Supply and demand dictates that as supply increases, costs will go down.... So the solution to getting maintanence and restoration castles more affordable is to write into law that all new buildings must be castles.
any idea y they dont put STONHENGE back together thanx
Nonsuch Palace was given the perfect name lmao
AAAHHH SEE, I was already thinking "this voice sounds familiar".. 👍
I’m ashamed to say I’ve always wondered why so many of Britain’s castles were in ruins given that Britain hasn’t been invaded in 1,000 years … but I never asked the question. I learned so much from this video. Thank you. My opinion of Oliver Cromwell - like so many Americans - comes from the movie made in the 1950s that painted him as this great Puritan hero, much like the Pilgrims. Perhaps he was that, but he was also a bit of a rat. Thanks for this video. New subscriber here!
There's no film that paints Cromwell as a hero in the fifties. The film l think you are referring to was made in 1970. lf you think Cromwell was a bit of a rat you should find out about Charles l.
@@billythedog-309 ah … my bad. I thought the film was older. And I’m no fan of the Stuarts. I just grow to like Cromwell less and less the more I learn about him.
Why do the Brits not remember that they were successfully invaded in 1688 by a Dutchman who seized then put himself on the throne?
@@haroldbridges515 ha! I like that. William III … I’m part Dutch.
I think you will find the fact that England was not successfully invaded for over a thousand years is very much part of the reason many of those old castles fell into ruin. That and the gradual stabilisation of the country over time. As various lords and nobles stopped fighting each other for land or 'honour' the requirement for castles slowly vanished.
Sad fact is that castles, though they look magnificent, are not really very comfortable places in which to live. They are cramped inside as the walls are so thick they take up a surprising amount of the volume of the castle. As the trend among the wealthy landowners moved from castles to more comfortable stately homes then most of the castles were pretty much doomed. Most of them were pulled down entirely to either make room for those large, comfortable country manors and halls, or to avoid death duties.
Believe it or not, the survivors are in the minority. There were once thousands of castles in England alone, most of them simply no longer exist save as marks in the fields where their walls used to be.
The video doesn't even touch on the fact that most of Britain's castles aren't even ruins, they straight up no longer exist. Every single village used to have a lord with a castle (well sometimes villages shared one), though these were usually smaller than the giant ones shown in the video.
They all got demolished and rebuilt as much more comfortable country houses in the 1600s-1800s. Then, when Britain instituted inheritance taxes, the owners were required to pay a portion of their assessed value in taxes and rather than pay them, a great many got torn down.
Can you imagine how long it would take to get permits to RESTORE old castles??? Never mind the expense.
It’s should be titled, why is Britain in ruins because it’s not just 13th century castles.
Good vid. Nice metastudy here. Example of changing priorities of design engineering companies today. We don't think we need buildings to last this long now...
Also priorities of the rich have changed and gap between the rich and poor is just too small now. People are less happy this way but healthier and less poverty generally speaking. Catch 22 for these grand designs.
Wallingford castle is an example of where virtually nothing remains of what was a very important castle, it was slighted after the civil War.
It would have been very interesting to visit these castles in their prime, but I think they better stand as a representation of hubris this way.
Wigmore castle is my daily walk ! Nice.
Many of the British castles were built by William the Conqueror so that he could command and control the lands of the Anglo-Saxon that he had recently conquered with his much outnumbered Normans. Once done, there was no need to maintain and soldier these castles after a couple of hundred years of domesticating them. Canons snd gunpowder made them obsolete by 1450.
When the Turks punched holes with canons in the 1500 year old walls of Constantinople, Castles were done.
being from Pontefract this hits home :p