Sunday 6 October 2013

Stargoose Returning And Castle Rising

Stargoose Returning:

After nearly a year since my last post it seems a good time to apply the fingers to the keyboard once more - hope other people think so too. Whether posts will appear with the same frequency as before remains to be seen, but here is the first of what I hope will be many.....

Castle Rising:



Tucked away, just a little off the beaten track, not far from Kings Lynn in North Norfolk, is the  village of Castle Rising, where there stands, believe it or not, a fine castle. On the morning when I paid a visit I was told by the charming lady in the ticket office that I was the first customer of the day so I had the place to myself. A  whole castle for £4, now there's a bargain!


The original castle dates from 1138 AD, during the reign of King Stephen, and was built for the son of William d'Albini, who was a senior member of the entourage of William the Conqueror. Although it was a superb defensive site it was also a statement of power and dedicated to his wife, the exquisitely-named Adeliza, who was also the widow of King Henry I.


Although most of the roof and many of the internal floors are missing - see the row of holes on the right-hand wall that would once have supported the flooring joists - pretty much all the walls are still standing, making it the most complete Norman keep in the country. There are many narrow passages and winding staircases just waiting to be explored by the young boy who still lurks secretly within me!



And views out to the surrounding countryside....


The most famous time in the building's history was in the mid-fourteenth century when it was home to Queen Isabella, "the She-Wolf of France", after she had been involved in the murder of her husband Edward II, and then ruled as regent during the reign of the young Edward III. Not at all like our own dear Queen!


After much poking about it was time to venture outside once more...


.....and to walk around the mighty ramparts which are still 120 feet high in places and cover an area of 20 acres. By the time you'd climbed up that lot in a suit of armour you'd be in no condition to fight!


From the vantage point of the earthworks you can view some of the fine decorative stonework on the exterior of the castle...


....or look down on the remains of the Norman church which once stood at the entrance to the castle...


Or you could just gaze at the sheer magnificence of this ancient stronghold...


Not a bad deal for four quid!

Take care.

27 comments:

  1. Welcome back! I've missed reading about your "walks & rides".

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    1. I thought that a castle would appeal to you, Liz. Walks and rides will follow, I promise.

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  2. John; I've popped over several times in the past year, hoping you might have returned to blogging. This is a wonderful return post. The title gave me a bit of a jolt as there are Rising ancestors in my mother's maternal line. As best I can discover our branch of the Rising family came to America in the mid 1600's from 'Ketelsthorp' in Norfolk, settling in Suffield, CT and then moving to upstate New York where many of my cousins still reside.

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  3. Okay, now I have to come back soon to see this place. Great photos, John. I really admire the way you can encapsulate so much history in a few words, giving us the story while treating us to fine photography. Welcome back, cousin!

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  4. Welcome back, John, it's a pleasure to see England through your eyes again. You've been missed. Jim

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  5. A castle to yourself for £4- what a treat and room to take wonderful pics without people walking into your frame. Welcome back to blog-land John.

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  6. So pleased to see you back, and a wonderful posting to mark your return. Oh, to be a princess with long golden hair (or raven, - the colour of the hair is immaterial - it's just the romance and the history).

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    1. Not sure if there were any princesses present but Isabella was certainly supposed to have been beautiful, though usually depicted as cruel, cunning and manipulative.

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  7. Welcome back John! So glad to be able to "visit" England once more through your blog. tm

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  8. Ah, what a pleasure to see you back. This trip was a grand re-entry. Post when you feel like it and don't when you don't. I always learn a lot and enjoy your photos of Olde England.

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  9. So good to see you back John! Most of us need a break from blogging as life muscles in on our limited time.
    I hope the tops of the walls have been sealed so the weather does not keep crumbling the walls down. I think the preservation of this wonderful place is due in great measure to the romanesque rounded arches as against straight wooden lintels that rot through and let the walls crumble.
    I like those spiral staircases, so secure against any intruder clattering and puffing up them. You only need one strong man with a shield at the top to topple the first one and create a domino effect.
    Thank you so much for showing us this Norman gem.

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  10. Hi John, it is good to see you writing again! Thanks for your visit to my blog and leaving a comment, which I've responded to. Loving that Castle Rising castle perspective through the bridge or tunnel. It looks very stately; well I guess most castles are just that. The stairs are mighty impressive too. Might've been a little eerie walking about there by yourself; did you feel as if anyone was watching you? The vaulted ceilings are grand construction aren't they?! It's so GREEN out there; something to do with your sunshine doesn't quite hurt as much as ours does. Look forward to your continued posts...

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  11. Lovely to have you back in the fold John. We holidayed at Blakeney in the late Spring and really explored the area. What a glorious area it is too.

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  12. Welcome Back, I've missed your writings and your photographs. Jane x

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  13. Welcome back! What a return with one of my all time favourite castles - I love those steps up to the entrance - how lucky to have the place to yourself too:)

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  14. I'm so pleased you're back! I have enjoyed your past posts and this one was wonderful too. You certainly were fortunate to have the entire castle to yourself with no one to get in the way of your photos. :)

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  15. Greetings - I'm a blog-friend of your cousin Sue, now meeting more of the family :) Your photographs seem to lead me right into those passageways and landscape - thanks, I need a holiday!

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  16. John: so glad you've decided to return to the blogging world. And what a post to return with! Thanks for the great photos of the castle. It looks like an amazing place.

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  17. Thanks for the tour. You do it well.
    Which means that I hope you DO post often.

    =)

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  18. Thanks to everyone who has visited and taken the time to comment. I thought I could sneak a post out without anyone noticing but it didn't work out quite like that! Thank you all.

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  19. Great to see you back, an interesting post too - great castle, especially for £4!

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  20. Really good to see you blogging again John. Castle Rising looks impressive and how great to have it all to yourself.

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  21. I echo others, it's really nice seeing you posting again - just enjoy these glimpses into your neck of the woods. Beautiful photos. Would've loved following the same ramparts and hidden passages!

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  22. Great to have you back. Castle Rising was a fav. place to take the boys when they were young. The children would fire arrows from the slits and we parents would collect them and then run back up all those stairs to deliver the arrows back ready to be fired again!

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  23. Hi John, I have seen the sign on the main road many times, but often wondered what the place looked like. Thanks for posting these images.

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  24. Good looking castle. There's nothing like getting these places to yourself.
    Glad to see you back - though during a quiet blogging spell myself (reading and writing) so you had several blogs up before I noticed. Sometimes a break from the blog is essential.

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  25. I too have a window fixation ... but I don't think I've EVER taken a pic through the window of such an impressive building!! Somehow, castle building wasn't a colonial priority downunder ...

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