Kenilworth Castle

 

Earlier this week B wanted a lift to a local pub to meet friends for lunch so D and I took him and while he was there we took ourselves off to Kenilworth Castle.  It was such a lovely warm, sunny day and we saw our first butterflies of the year - Brimstones galore plus bumble bees and native ladybirds.

One of the plant organisations is running a challenge to identify 100 plants in 2026.  You can count  wildplants, trees, ferns and horsetails but not mosses, lichens or fungi.   D and I decided it would be a fun thing to to. We managed to add around 12 species to our list although I didn't count Primroses and Cowslips which were growing on a bank and which I suspected had been planted.

Lesser Celandine

Dog's Mercury

Ivy still with berries

Goat Willow

We also added - Daisy, Dandelion,  Red Dead Nettle, Hawthorn (one tree still had berries on it which helped with id), Ivy, Early Dog Violet, Barren Strawberry, Bramble and Oak (which still had acorn cups on it :)  We did find a self seeded Holly which I am uncertain about counting plus one of those tiny white flowers that are SO hard to identify!

We finally made it to the castle!

I will repeat the history but if you have read my posts before on Kenilworth Castle I would skip this bit as it is repetitive!

• The first castle at Kenilworth was built in the 1120's by Geoffrey de Clinton (The Royal Chamberlain) who had been given the land by Henry I.  He built the Great Tower (Norman Keep) and also founded Kenilworth Priory.
• In the early C13th King John added an outer circuit wall and built a dam to retain a large lake.  The castle was now strongly defended and withstood a siege in 1266.
• John of Gaunt, son of Edward III, built the Great Hall and its apartments.
• C15th Lancastrian Kings visited to hunt and Henry V built a retreat at the end of the lake called "The Pleasance in the Marsh".
• In 1563 Queen Elizabeth I gave the castle to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. He turned the castle into a palace where he could entertain her building apartments and a privy garden for her use.
• After the Civil War the fortifications were removed and in 1650 Colonel Hawkesworth, a Parliamentarian Officer turned Leicester's Gatehouse into a private residence.
• In 1958 Lord Kenilworth gave the castle to the people of Kenilworth and it has been managed by English Heritage since 1984.

Mortimer's Tower built by King John in 1210.  It may later have taken its name from Roger Mortimer, one of the Marcher lords, who held a tournament at the castle in 1282.

The Stables which house a tea room and an exhibition.

The Great Tower or Norman Keep

Dudley's Gatehouse and the entrance

Lunn's Tower

The Queen's Privy garden was a private garden created for Elizabeth I by Robert Dudley.  The garden was recreated by English Heritage in 2009. The design was based on descriptions by Robert Longham who sneaked into the garden in the C16th.  Archaelogical surveys and historical research were also used to help plan the garden.

The Aviary

The fountain (which looks as though it is being repaired, restored or just out of use?) is the centre piece of the garden. It is built of Italian Carrera marble like the original. Two Athlants (Atlas figures) support a sphere that discharges water.

More wild flowers found - Daisy and Red Dead Nettle.

We were hoping to have toasted sandwiches for lunch but the only food available was cake! So cake it was!

Plants in Walls - a self seeded aubretia.

Some of the photos D took.

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I was pleased to see Jackdaws and a Pair of Little Egrets. New species for the 2026 bird list! D thought the egrets were nesting nearby.

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It was good to get out for a few hours. Having not had cellulitis for months I have been fighting it off yet again for the last month or so. Sadly, I don't think all the walking at the castle did it much good!

We haven't yet been the static caravan - the site re-opened on the 1st March. To be honest I am not looking forward to the first visit as when B drained it down himself he managed to put too much air pressure down the pipes! and he is concerned we may have a water leak when we turn the water back on! All I can do is cross my fingers that everything will be ok!

All photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and D with the Canon SX50HS. (I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's I would be grateful for an email first - thanks).

Reference: English Heritage website and Guide Book to Kenilworth Castle.

A Trip to a Local Churchyard in Search of Snowdrops

 

A few days ago D and I drove to a local churchyard in search of snowdrops.

This the parish church of St Mary and St Margaret's, Castle Bromwich.  It is a Grade 1 Listed building.  The present church was built by Sir John Bridgeman II between 1726 and 1731 in the neo classical style.  The new church was built around the original Norman church so contains two churches meaning it is a "church within a church". I have done blog posts on this church before so if you want to see inside please see Interior of Castle Bromwich Church

Part of the churchyard has a border planted for pollinators which in summer is full of alliums but the other day there were Euphorbia plants in flower.

The churchyard was full of snowdrops and crocuses and a few early primroses.

It is an interesting churchyard and I have a little booklet entitled "Stories Behind the Head Stones" which gives information on some of the people buried there.  In 2009 a group of volunteers started to clear the churchyard of brambles and ivy that were growing all over the headstones and they researched the lives of some of the people laid to rest in the churchyard.  John Bateman and his son Charles, both well known Architects (Charles was known for his Arts and Craft style houses) are buried there.  One day in the summer when it is less muddy I will try and find some of the gravestones of people mentioned in the booklet and tell you their history.

A few photos taken by D

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It was good to get out for an hour and thankfully it was actually a dry day!!

Photos taken by me with the Panasonic Lumix FZ330 bridge camera and photos marked *D taken by D with the Canon SX50HS bridge camera.  I don't particularly rate my photos but if anyone wishes to use one of mine or my son's please email me first - thanks.