Why Are Britain's Castles Ruined? 

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.

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! 🤩

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.

Fun fact: Wales and Belgium have more castles per square meter than anywhere else.

Great video. The castles are truly one of the main reasons Britain is an amusement park for history buffs.

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!.

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).

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.

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👍

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.

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!

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.

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!

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

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.

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

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

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?

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 🇸🇬

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.

Thanks for all this info, I always wondered what truly happened. I'd love to see these castles.

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 👍

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 knew i recognised that voice! top work on both channels my guy!

Amazing video and very interesting. Same as my local castle is completely ruined. Hadleigh Castle but still nice to visit from time to time

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.

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.

My local and one of my favourites is Lincoln Castle, I also like Cardiff Castle.

I’m a new subscriber cos your content is appealing

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.

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 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'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

The Castles are So Beautiful and Historic and I Hope Many will Survive. Thank You Very Much!! 😘😘💖💖🌹🌹💋💋

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

Wonderful video! Who doesn't love a castle! 🏰⚔🏹

at 1:02, I assume the black walls hint at a fire, or is it simply tyhe type of rock used?

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.

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.

Great video

Still marvellous to behold. Wonderful history and also just sad

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.

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.

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 .

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.

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.

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.

There's a few near me; Peveril, Sandal, Conisbrough but their condition is really bad (worse than the ones you've shown).

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.

AAAHHH SEE, I was already thinking "this voice sounds familiar".. 👍

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 👍👍

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.

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 went to Corfe Castle in August, it's a shame it was slighted but it's still very impressive and well worth a visit.

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.

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.

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.

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

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!

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

Great lesson.🧡

I've been to Warwick Castle, Windsor Castle, Framlingham Castle and Orford Castle when my dad was stationed in England.

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.

Cheers for this, interesting that most of these slightings were their own individual acts of parliament

Very interesting, but the inflection at the end of every sentence is driving me crazy 🤣

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.

this was a good video

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

Hi, an answer to your question, a lot of them were destroyed during "The English Civil War" Corf Castle for an example

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

any idea y they dont put STONHENGE back together thanx

It’s should be titled, why is Britain in ruins because it’s not just 13th century castles.

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.

Castles and battlefields are a great place to teach youngsters about their heritage!

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

I like the video for the most part. The gopro fisheye footage almost ruined it.

this was very intersting

Nonsuch Palace was given the perfect name lmao

being from Pontefract this hits home :p

I went to one in Yorkshire called Keldy Castle When I got there the only thing left of it was a picture in a reception room of some wooden cabin holiday homes 🤦🏻‍♂️

I am surprised that Cromwell did not just repurpose such buildings and continue to use them as administrative centres.

I really do love our castles in the UK and I love history it's so sad to see these castles go. And for me living in Sheffield our castl was knocked down! For building materials and space verry sad

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.

i go to corfe castle every time we go camping in dorset, it's very beautiful

They need money to maintain and repair them. This is why many are open to the public, and many can be rented to host weddings, ect. Without this, they wouldn’t be able to keep and care for the castles.

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.

I think why they were ruined, is because they're really, really old. Maybe older than my Humber Super Snipe.

Wigmore castle is my daily walk ! Nice.

Most blown up or distroyed during the civil war. Also the victorians loved ruins so very few were repaired.

Because everytime I visit a castle with my kids I find their pockets full of souvenirs and I'm like ahhhhhhh .

Hmmm you only cover English and Welsh castles here, and only English history... "Britain" covers Scotland too! And Scotland has lots of castles, not destroyed as part of the English civil war but by various other wars such as the Jacobite Rebellion, wars of independence etc.

Can we get a longer more indepth video on how they did it

Perhaps these castles are far older than we are told and they destroyed them in an act of iconoclasm because transient want people finding out about the ancients or that the druids built them