Walmer Castle

Walmer Castle lies in the town of the same name, in the county of Kent in England.

In 1533 Henry VIII of England broke with Pope Paul III in order to annul the long-standing marriage to his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and be able to remarry. Catherine was closely related to King Charles V of Spain, who took the annulment as a personal insult. As a consequence, France and Spain declared an alliance against Henry in 1538, and the Pope encouraged the two countries to attack England.

As an invasion of England then appeared certain, Henry issued an order to build a chain of fortifications along the English coast to counter this threat. So, between 1539 and 1547 a total of 17 castles were built, aided by earthwork fortifications. Walmer was one of those castles, as were Sandgate and Deal castles. As Henry's order was called a "device", the castles are also known as Device Forts or Henrician castles.

Walmer Castle was built, near the beachfront, between 1539 and 1540 to defend the strategically important Downs anchorage off the English coast, together with the castles of Deal and (the no longer existing) Sandown to the north. The moated castle consisted of a low circular keep surrounded by 4, roughly semicircular, bastions and had 39 firing positions for artillery.

Eventually the invasion threat passed but, during the Second English Civil War in 1648, the castle was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents and was only retaken by Parliamentary forces after several months' fighting.

In the 18th century, Walmer Castle became the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and was gradually modified from a military fortification into a private residence. In 1904, the War Office concluded that the castle no longer had any defensive value and it was decommissioned. Various Prime Ministers and other prominent politicians, like William Pitt, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Granville, held the post of Lord Warden, they modified the castle to their liking, adapted it to modern comforts and laid out gardens on the castle's grounds.

At present Walmer Castle can be visited for a fee. A very nice castle, worth your visit, especially together with nearby Deal Castle.

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Walmer Castle

Walmer Castle lies in the town of the same name, in the county of Kent in England.

In 1533 Henry VIII of England broke with Pope Paul III in order to annul the long-standing marriage to his wife, Catherine of Aragon, and be able to remarry. Catherine was closely related to King Charles V of Spain, who took the annulment as a personal insult. As a consequence, France and Spain declared an alliance against Henry in 1538, and the Pope encouraged the two countries to attack England.

As an invasion of England then appeared certain, Henry issued an order to build a chain of fortifications along the English coast to counter this threat. So, between 1539 and 1547 a total of 17 castles were built, aided by earthwork fortifications. Walmer was one of those castles, as were Sandgate and Deal castles. As Henry's order was called a "device", the castles are also known as Device Forts or Henrician castles.

Walmer Castle was built, near the beachfront, between 1539 and 1540 to defend the strategically important Downs anchorage off the English coast, together with the castles of Deal and (the no longer existing) Sandown to the north. The moated castle consisted of a low circular keep surrounded by 4, roughly semicircular, bastions and had 39 firing positions for artillery.

Eventually the invasion threat passed but, during the Second English Civil War in 1648, the castle was seized by pro-Royalist insurgents and was only retaken by Parliamentary forces after several months' fighting.

In the 18th century, Walmer Castle became the official residence of the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and was gradually modified from a military fortification into a private residence. In 1904, the War Office concluded that the castle no longer had any defensive value and it was decommissioned. Various Prime Ministers and other prominent politicians, like William Pitt, the Duke of Wellington and Lord Granville, held the post of Lord Warden, they modified the castle to their liking, adapted it to modern comforts and laid out gardens on the castle's grounds.

At present Walmer Castle can be visited for a fee. A very nice castle, worth your visit, especially together with nearby Deal Castle.

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Details
Hits: 2389