What is a Castle?
Oxford English Dictionary defines a castle as "a large building or set of buildings fortified for defence against an enemy; a fortress, stronghold. Retained as a name for large mansions or country houses, which were formerly feudal castles..".
A Brief History of the British Castle
The English Castle, a concise history in three parts.
Images of British Castles from the YCBA Collections
Books on British Castles and Royal Residences
Books listed can be found in the YCBA Reference Library unless otherwise noted.
- [A collection of engravings of castles, abbeys, etc. in England and Wales, by Saml. and Nathl. Buck] byCall Number: Folio B D 3 (Rare Bks & Mss)Publication Date: 1726-42
The Castles of Scotland : a comprehensive reference and gazeteer to more than 1700 castles by Call Number: DA875 C68 1995 (LCISBN: 1899874003Publication Date: 1995- British Castles, or, A compendious history of the ancient military structures of Great Britain byCall Number: DA660 .F54 1825+ Oversize (Rare Bks & Mss)Publication Date: 1825Descriptions and some plates for: Barnard Castle, Beaumaris Castle, Branksome Castle, Brougham Castle, Burgh Castle, Comber Castle, Coningsborough Castle, Dolwyddelan Castle, Dover Castle, Flint Castle, Goodrich Castle, Grosmount Castle, Mortham Tower, Peel Castle, St. Briavel's Castle, Saltwood Castle, Thirlwall Castle, Wilton Castle.
- A Guide to the Castles of England and Wales byCall Number: NA7745 F67 (LC)ISBN: 009463730XPublication Date: 1981
- The Country Life Book of Castles and Houses in Britain byCall Number: NA7745 C68 (LC)+ OversizeISBN: 0600358674Publication Date: 1986
The English Castle 1066-1650 by Call Number: NA7745 .G66 2010 (LC) OversizeISBN: 9780300110586Publication Date: 2011- The National Trust Book of British Castles byCall Number: DA660 J64 1978 (LC)+ OversizeISBN: 0297774395Publication Date: 1978
English Castles : a guide by counties by Call Number: DA660 P48 1995 (LC)ISBN: 0851156002Publication Date: 1995- The Mansions of England and Wales : illustrated in a series of views of the principal seats with historical and topographical descriptions byCall Number: DA660 T89 1847+ Oversize (Rare Bks & Mss)Publication Date: 1847-1850
- Les delices des chateaux royaux, or, A pocket companion to the royal palaces of Windsor, Kensington, Kew, and Hampton Court : containing an account of their buildings, gardens, paintings, monuments and curiosities : with the institution and ceremonies of byCall Number: DA690 W76 D4 (Rare Bks & Mss)Publication Date: 1785A pocket companion to the royal palaces of Kennsington, Kew and Hampton Court with descriptions of their exterior and interiors including descriptions of artworks of each.
eBooks on British Castles
- A collection of engravings of castles, and abbeys in England byPublication Date: 1726[-39]
Websites on British Castles and Royal Residences
British Castles, Stately Homes and Houses
This website features an alphabetical listing of Castles and Stately Homes in Britain with web links and photographs.
Use the "Find a Castle" feature to search through 180 castles in Britain using the interactive maps or the alphabetical listing. Each castle has a description, photographs, directions and a link to a map. The "History of Castles" section gives a short overview of the origin of castles, the development of medieval castles, and the eventual decline of castles. There is also an extensive glossary of castle terminology.
This site contains a fully searchable database of over 5,000 medieval masonry and timber castles, siege works, palaces, fortified manor houses, tower houses, pele towers and bastles, artillery forts, chain and boom towers, fortified churches and monasteries, dykes and ditches, and town walls and defences located in England, Wales, the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man.
Castles and Fortifications of England and Wales
This site contains information on over 830 English and Welsh castles, fortified manor houses, Bishop's palaces and Pele towers constructed over the last twenty centuries. Use the Maps menu to select one of the 12 regions of England & Wales and then either click on the castle icons, or use the dropdown lists on each of the map pages. To find a specific castle or fortification use either the Search menu for A - Z listings or use the Site Map to search by county.
This site provides information on Welsh castles and Welsh medieval history, and many essays are written by leading experts in their respective fields of study. Search 400 Welsh castles, accompanied by high quality photographs and historical profiles.
The comprehensive online gazetteer and bibliography of the medieval castles, fortifications and palaces of England, Wales, the Channel Isles and the Isle of Man. Gatehouse consists of three main sections. The first is the listings and individual pages of medieval fortifications; the second is a listing of the texts and online sources used in compiling information for these lists; the third section is a collection of other resources of interest to castle studies such as distribution maps, some statistics, a list of licences to crenellate and some other transcriptions of primary sources and some lists and discussion of archaeological terminology.
This independent historical website was created to encourage the exploration of British heritage. Showcasing a diverse range of historical sites and monuments, The Heritage Trail provides an excellent starting point for researching projects, holidays or tours.
This site has historical and visitor information for Buckingham Palace, The Royal Mews, Buckingham Palace, Clarence House, Windsor Castle, Frogmore House, Palace of Holyroodhouse. The art collections of these royal residencescan also be explored.
Scottish Castles Photo Library
Images and brief historical information on 130 Scottish Castles.
The guide will help you plan your visit to or event at one of Britain's stately homes, gardens, castles and other historic properties and houses. Includes all major properties represented by the Historic Houses Association, National Trust, English Heritage, Historic Scotland, Cadw (Welsh Heritage), and The National Trust for Scotland and other properties open to the public.