Kenilworth Castle was established by Geoffrey de Clinton, Chamberlain to Henry I, in about 1122. Warwick Castle was founded slightly earlier, shortly after the Norman Conquest.
Geoffrey de Clinton built an oval enclosure defended by damming streams to create a great lake to the south and west, with a broad moat on the other two sides. Henry II, envious of de Clinton's creation, commandeered the castle in 1173-4, and in 1182, the de Clintons exchanged the castle for a much smaller one in Buckinghamshire. The picture at the left is an artists impression of the castle at the ...
This is a preview of the whole essay
Kenilworth Castle was established by Geoffrey de Clinton, Chamberlain to Henry I, in about 1122. Warwick Castle was founded slightly earlier, shortly after the Norman Conquest.
Geoffrey de Clinton built an oval enclosure defended by damming streams to create a great lake to the south and west, with a broad moat on the other two sides. Henry II, envious of de Clinton's creation, commandeered the castle in 1173-4, and in 1182, the de Clintons exchanged the castle for a much smaller one in Buckinghamshire. The picture at the left is an artists impression of the castle at the time of King John, surrounded by its great lake. This picture, and the present aerial view of the castle, below, are both taken from the castle guide book, Kenilworth Castle, by Derek Benn, published by English Heritage. (All other photos are my own).
Many English kings contributed to the construction of Kenilworth Castle. The central block on high ground in the centre of this picture is the Norman Keep. King John added the outer curtain wall and towers. In the late 14th century the castle was owned by John of Gaunt, who began its conversion from a fortress into a palace. He added the Great Hall, which is the building at the left of the Keep in the picture. This process continued under Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester in the 1570s, who added the Leicester building, a large apartment and residential block overlooking the lake. This is the tall structure at the far right of the picture.