Carisbrooke Castle, Carisbrooke, Isle of Wight
There has been a fortress here since Saxon times, but the present castle was begun in c1100. This was when the Isle of Wight was granted to the de Redvers family. Countess Isabella de Redvers extensively rebuilt it after 1262. The castle experienced its only siege in 1377, beating off a French raiding force. After the Spanish Armada passed alarmingly close in 1588, Carisbrooke was updated as an artillery fortification. It was surrounded by 'bastioned' outer earthworks which are still impressively visible today. The castle's most famous resident was Charles I, imprisoned here in 1647-8. At first comfortably accommodated in the Constable's Lodging, he later became a closely guarded prisoner. An attempt to escape was foiled only when he became wedged in the window bars. This property is now in the care of English Heritage (2010). Find out more.
