Berkhamstead Castle

Thought it was about time to post all the photos I took on my trip to Berkhamstead a couple weeks ago. I first noticed Berkhamstead as my friend Tissa and I were returning to London from Milton Keynes and I saw what I now know is Berkhamstead castle fly by the window. I decided to make note of the station and return one day. Little did I know the castle ruins are HUGE and the rest of the city houses some lovely other things. We'll start with the castle for now.

The original fort dates back to Saxon times, and the work on the Norman structure of the castle began in 1066 by William the Conqueror.

This lovely little house was built in the 18th Century, and is still lived in! What a view!

During the 12th Century the castle was home to Thomas Becket, Chancellor of England.

During the 14th Century the castle was home to Edward the Black Prince.

The castle is a standard Motte & Bailey castle. This is the mound on the right. You can read about Motte & Bailey type castles on Wikipedia here.

The mound offered a wonderful view of the grounds. There is a .pdf version of a map of the grounds here, if you want to see which part is which.

The castle is owned by English Heritage, and has its own website here. There is still a remarkable amount of ruins and stones left, as well as an extensive path around the grounds. Admission is free, which is always a bonus!

There was little information about which parts of the castle were build when and by whom, but these bricks appear to be Roman in nature, and most likely were part of a fireplace / oven.

One last panorama of the grounds from the inside. It's a lovely castle and well worth a visit.