Palaces, Castles & Jewels, Oh My!

The Tower of London

With an astonishing number of close to 1500 castles, the UK's history is surrounded by these incredible buildings (some in complete ruin). Of course I couldn't visit every single one of them, but I did get the chance to visit quite a few. 

Buckingham Palace, London

Surrounded by the beauty of Green Park and St James's Park, and with its own private garden, Buckingham Palace serves as the monarch's office/administration building for matters of the state. Every year during the summer, the palace opens its doors to the public for themed tours through its 19 state rooms (2019 saw the reign of Queen Victoria at the epicentre of the tour to mark her 200th anniversary of her birth). 

On a less positive note, Green Park has been discovered to be the site of a mass grave, or plague pit, from the outbreak of the the Black Death in the 17th century. As so many people were dying from the disease, city officials resorted to burying all the deceased together in giant pits throughout the city. 

Changing the Guard

A very popular procession that sees the old guard change duties with the new guard around Buckingham Palace. Each regiment represents the 4 countries within the UK - Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. 

You can view the schedule and maps on the Household Division's site.  

The Royal Mews

In charge of transporting the royals, you can view the stables and the original cars and carriages used by the family to this day.  

Caerphilly Castle, Wales

Built to be the biggest castle in Wales, and second largest in Britain (after Windsor), Caerphilly (pronouned car-fill-ee) Castle's ruins still shows its former size and grandeur. The castle pays respects to the Cadw dragons, and features its own leaning tower at 10 degrees (a steeper lean than Pisa's tower in Italy). 

Castle Caerdydd, Cardiff

Although not having enough time to walk within the castle, I was able to snap a few shots of this structure with over 2000 years of history. 

Canterbury Castle, Canterbury

The shell of the third largest castle after Rochester and Dover sits east of the city centre and it now closed to the public due to falling rubble.  

Dover Castle, Dover

Sitting atop the famous white cliffs, Dover Castle overlooks the shortest distance between Britain and Europe. Being the most heavily destroyed city in Britain because of its distance from France (and the German forces), it's quite incredible to have seen the many underground tunnels dug into the cliffs from the castle that were quickly appointed and set up as the main military base (for planning and communication) of the English against the Nazis.

They also established a makeshift hospital within the tunnels that was luckily not used as heavily as it was built for. These tunnels were dug into the cliffs well before the war efforts (around the 13th century), and the site of the castle was fortified as far back as the Iron Age.    

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland

Built on top of an extinct volcano (yes...a freakin' volcano!), this castle can be glimpsed across the capital city. It has seen the most battles for the throne in all of Britain, 23 times to be exact. As I visited Edinburgh during Easter 2019 weekend, there was a HUGE line to get into the castle, so I wasn't able to check it out.  

Hampton Court Palace, Richmond upon Thames

The residence of the infamous King Henry VIII, Hampton Court Palace saw his series of 6 wives reside with him. This stunning palace was the site of many banquets, with a large scullery and kitchen to serve 1600 meals daily. 

The Palace is home to the world's largest grapevine, and a specialty kitchen specifically for chocolate (a luxury at the time with its introduction to the English).   

Jewel Tower, London

Although not actually a "castle", this small tower was built in the Palace of Westminster to act as storage for King Edward III's personal treasure while he lived in the Tower of London. It was originally surrounded by a moat, and employed a personal "accountant" who'd count every single piece within to ensure no one would steal anything.  

Kensington Palace, London

The walls within Kensington Palace tells the tale of many monarchs, including Queen Victoria, as it was where she grew up, became queen and met her beloved cousin (and later, husband). The palace began as a quaint mansion that King William III wanted to transform into his country retreat (as he lived in Hampton Court Palace at the time).

As most palaces go, the king and queen each had their own staircase and bedchambers (because they could), and Kensington offers exclusive exhibits of its royal residents. At the time of visiting, the exhibit was in honour of Princess Diana and her various fashion through the ages.  

More information about this palace and others can be found on the Historic Royal Palaces website.

Leeds Castle, Broomfield

Celebrating its 900th anniversary in 2019, Leeds Castle has been described as the loveliest castle in the world, siting on two islands and a manmade lake off of the River Len. 

Palace of Westminster, London

Now serving as the House of Parliament, this stunning structure used to inhabit a small island when the Thames was much wider as a church to St Peter in the 8th century. Over time, the church became a royal residence and Westminster Abbey was then built. Westminster Hall became an extension to the palace as the largest hall for royal banquets and entertainment.  

Parliamentary proceedings took place around the palace, but was finally given a permanent home in 1512 when Henry VIII left.   

Rochester Castle, Rochester

The little Dickensian town of Rochester was full of surprises, including its own castle! Just as old as many of England's other castles, Rochester Castle is a shell of what it once was as you walk through its skeletal remains and look out onto the city. It is the tallest surviving tower of its kind in Europe. 

Rougemont Castle, Exeter

Built on top of the highest point of the city, this once sought-after castle is now barely evident aside from the boundary wall, and two towers. 

Royal Pavilion, Brighton

Brighton was considered the Las Vegas of England when it was established as a holiday destination with it being situated along the English Channel. Those who could afford it would party it up to escape their mundane lives and wives, including Prince George (later King George IV). 

George loved showing off his wealth and high-class artistic tastes despite having spent all of his father's money and putting them into debt. He was able to build his home away from home using iron frames to create the extravagant series of domes and pinnacles on display today. However, this home is fraught with structural flaws and continual upkeep is needed with constant roof leaks and overflowing drainpipes causing the building to rot.  

Tower of London, London

I delve into the Tower's history in my previous post of the buildings and history surrounding the Thames. 

Warwick Castle, Warwick

This castle is over 1100 years old when the Danish began to invade and in 914 AD, Warwick Castle was built as a wooden structure. Throughout the centuries, the castle would have seen many owners inherit it, and many financial hardships befall them in maintaining it. It was sold to Merlin Entertainment (an amusement and attraction company), that invested in preserving the castle and turning it into a tourist attraction (with jousting, mazes and live history).  

Windsor Castle, Windsor

The world's largest and oldest inhabited castle in the world, and home of the Queen, the castle is situated in the lovely village that bears its name. In order to tell that the Queen's home is when the flag is raised (see the picture below).  

There is also a rumour that a small jewellery shop located across from the castle grounds (the building itself is known as the Crooked House) has a secret tunnel leading inside the castle which was used by Nell Gwynn, Charles II's mistress, for secret rendezvous.