Carisbrooke castle

At one time the capital of the Isle of Wight, the village of Carisbrooke boasts a fine medieval castle. It was originally a Norman structure, set high on a hill. This was based on a Saxon fort that occupied the site during the 8th century. The original "motte and bailey" castle was laid out in the 11th century. The Polygonalkeep was added in the first part of the 12th century, and was built on an artificial mound. Around that time the stone curtain walls were built with square flanking towers around the southeast and south west with encompassing bailey. The western part of the curtain wall lies between the two-towered Gatehouse, where it is still possible to see evidence of the portcullises. The imposing Gatehouse which dates from the 14/15th centuries, replaced the earlier Gateway which was built in the time of the Redvers family who ruled the Island until 1293. Following the family's departure from Carisbrooke, the castle was bought by King Edward I.There are two medieval wells that still exist in the castle today. The keep houses the oldest of

the wells, which is around 160ft deep and is reached by 71 steps. The second well is contained in a 16th century well house in the courtyard of the castle. The well has been in use since the 12th century, and it is thought that prisoners were used to tread a waterwheel to bring up the water. In the 17th century, donkeys were introduced to the castle to work the well. There are many domestic buildings still at Carisbrooke, most dating from the 13th century. These include The Great Hall, displaying an impressive fireplace which was provided by William de Montacute. Although alterations were made by each generation. During the reign of Queen Elizabeth I the Governor, Sir George Carey undertook a large-scale refortification programme to counteract continued invasion threats from Catholic Spain. These included the vast earthworks surrounding the castle, and the landscaped gardens. Interestingly, only the foundations remain of Carey's Mansion One of the sheer delights of the castle is the much restored 13th century Chapel. Commissioned by Countess Isabella,

it has suffered severe damage over the years, despite its near demolition. The Chapel was dedicated to the memory of King Charles I who was imprisoned at the castle for over a year. The chapel is also a memorial to the people of the Island, who died during World Wars I & II. Carisbrooke Castle is compact and unusual. It shows evidence of 1200 years of existence from Saxon walls to Jacobean influences in its 13th century buildings.

the ghost of carrisbrooke castle
Not suprisingly Carisbrooke Castle has a number of ghosts within its stone walls, one of these is the repeated sightings of man stood behind the iron gates wearing a black cloak. When you look again he is gone! The thin face of a girl looking up at you out of the well has also been seen. She is believed to be Elizabeth Ruffin, who drowned in the 160ft well, possibly be accident. There is also the sighting of a Victorian lady dressed in grey walking her dogs near the gatehouse, and a young man in a brown sleeveless jacket speaking the words "reet Grayley". It is not known what these words means, but it is thought the language would have been an old form of English. There is a feeling of being watched around the castle after dark. There are many stories of people seeing faces and ghosts walking around the castle at night. But perhaps the strangest is that of a group of friends standing outside the castle one night, when a figure appeared on the ram-parts dressed in a full-length black cloak. The figure ordered the friends to leave, and produced a small illuminated object (possibly a candle) from under his cloak. When the friends taunted the figure, it produced a scythe, and waved the illuminated object across it! Could this have been a ghost or the Grim Reaper? The friends did not stay to find out, and ran from the castle. To this day, they cannot explain what it is they saw!