We arrived late in the morning, and it was starting to fill up with school groups, as well as some other tourists. Yes, school is nearing its end here, and field trips are the activity du jour. Most of the groups are very well behaved. Apparently uniforms help with that, as the only ones really running rampant were the kids that were allowed to "dress down" for their outing.
Anyway, we had 11:30AM tickets to visit the Dungeon. This is a "living history" piece of the castle, and it is a bit hokie, but if you have some smarts, you can discern the history from the theatrics. I was placed in the dock, and once it was determined that I was an American, from Virginia, I was summarily dismissed as worthless of the court's time. Beats getting your head cut off. It was an enjoyable introduction to the castle and its history. Thankfully, our tour consisted of 9 adults, with no screaming children, as the overall effect was one of a carnival haunted house!
We climbed to the top of one of the ramparts, and spent quite a while wandering the halls of the main house. It was a very enjoyable morning!
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| A view of the Avon from the main living quarters. |
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| One of the beautiful stained glass windows found throughout the house. |
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| Wait a sec! A picture of me in front of a knight in shining armour on his steed. |
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| A peacock gracing the inner courtyard. Several have the run of the grounds. |
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| A gold gilt frame, one of only about 8 in the world that is this size. It's about 8 feet tall! |
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| A view of the Avon and part of Warwickshire from the ramparts of the castle. |
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| A sundial on a rampart wall. |
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| A rather imposing structure! |
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| The original castle was on this mount, now part of the rear wall of the castle. |
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