Kenilworth Castle travel guide

Kenilworth Castle is in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England. Historically the Castle was contained within the Forest of Arden.
A fortification has existed on the site from Saxon times. But the current ruin is of Norman origin, a great square stone tower built by Geoffrey de Clinton, Treasurer and Chief Justice of England to Henry I, in about 1125. Henry II took control of the castle during the rebellion of 1173-1174, giving the Clintons another castle in Buckinghamshire by way of compensation.
Henry II began work on improving the defensive qualities of the castle. Work continued during the reign of Henry III which turned the castle into one of the strongest in the Midlands. The properties of water defences had long been known but at Kenilworth a great lake was created to defend three sides of the castle. Covering over 100 acres (0.4 km) it was an expensive endeavour, but the value in keeping siege engines further away and as a barrier to assault or mining was immense.
However after all the work to improve the castle Henry III granted it in 1244 to Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester. Simon de Montfort became a leader in the Second Barons' War (1263-1267) against Henry III, Kenilworth was the centre of his operations and Prince Edward, Henry's heir, was briefly imprisoned at Kenilworth before escaping. De Montfort was killed in battle near Evesham on August 4 1265 facing Edward. In 1266, the rebels under the leadership of Henry de Hastings, used the castle as a refuge when Lord Edward surrounded Kenilworth. The siege of Kenilworth Castle in 1266 is the longest in English history at almost a year. The extensive water defences proved their worth, despite Edward targeting the weaker north wall, defended by only a double moat, employing huge siege towers and even attempting a night attack by barge. The siege was ended on easy terms for the defenders with the Dictum of Kenilworth. The experience gained in water defenses at Kenilworth was put to good effect at later castles built in Wales, notably Caerphilly. (...) more....

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