The medieval period in the UK, spanning roughly 1066 to 1500, was marked by conquest, rebellion, feudalism, and architectural innovation. Following the Norman Conquest, stone castles sprang up across England, Wales, and Scotland, not just as military strongholds, but as symbols of royal power and local authority. From the Iron Ring fortresses of Edward I to keeps that withstood civil wars and royal intrigues, these structures shaped the course of British history. Today, they offer glimpses into medieval life, warfare, and kingship. Here are ten must-see medieval castles across the UK, each steeped in drama, legend, and centuries of stone-bound resilience.
1. Windsor Castle, Berkshire, England
Founded around 1070 by William the Conqueror, Windsor Castle began as a timber motte‑and‑bailey fortress guarding the western approach to London. In the late 12th century, Henry II replaced wooden defenses with the iconic stone Round Tower and curtain walls. Edward III transformed it into a lavish Gothic palace during the 1350s–1370s under William of Wykeham, spending a record £50,000.
Today, the castle remains the world’s oldest and largest inhabited castle, continuously home to 39 monarchs. Visitors can tour the grand State Apartments, home to the Crimson Drawing Room, Grand Reception Room, and Waterloo Chamber, adorned with triumphal paintings commemorating Napoleon’s defeat.
St George’s Chapel, built in late‑medieval Perpendicular Gothic style, houses royal tombs, including Henry VIII, Jane Seymour, and Elizabeth II, and is the spiritual home of the Order of the Garter. Don’t miss Queen Mary’s Dolls’ House, a 1920s miniature marvel.
A devastating fire in November 1992 gutted key rooms, but a €36.5 million restoration preserved the castle’s historic grandeur.
2. Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd, Wales
Caernarfon Castle, located in Gwynedd, Wales, was built by Edward I in 1283 as part of his campaign to conquer and control Wales. Unlike many other medieval castles, Caernarfon was designed to be both a military stronghold and a political statement. Its striking polygonal towers and banded masonry were inspired by Roman imperial architecture, signaling English dominance.
The castle was constructed by James of St George, a master mason from Savoy, and features extensive defenses including gatehouses, curtain walls, and towers. One of its most famous moments came in 1284, when Edward II was born there, later made Prince of Wales, beginning a tradition that continues to this day.
Today, Caernarfon Castle is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Visitors can explore its towers, walk along the battlements, and learn about Welsh and British history at the Royal Welch Fusiliers Museum inside. It’s one of the best-preserved and most impressive medieval castles in the UK, both architecturally and historically.
3. Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh Castle, towering over the Scottish capital from Castle Rock, has been a site of human occupation since the Iron Age and a royal stronghold since the 12th century. Built atop an extinct volcano, it served as a royal residence until 1633 and has played a central role in Scotland’s military and political history. The castle is known as the most besieged place in Britain, having endured at least 23 sieges.
Among its key features are St Margaret’s Chapel, the oldest surviving building in Edinburgh, dating back to around 1130. Visitors can also explore the Great Hall, completed in 1511, and the Royal Palace, where James VI was born in 1566. The Honours of Scotland, the Scottish crown jewels, are housed here, alongside the famous Mons Meg cannon and the Stone of Destiny.
Now a major tourist attraction, the castle draws millions each year and hosts events like the Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo. It remains a powerful symbol of Scotland’s past and national pride.
4. Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
Bamburgh Castle, perched on a basalt crag above sweeping sandy shores, has been a coastal guardian for over 1,400 years. Originating as the Celtic fort Din Guarie and later the Kingdom of Bernicia’s royal seat around AD 420–547, it eventually fell to the Anglo-Saxons under King Ida.
The Normans rebuilt in stone, completing the central keep in 1164 under Henry II’s reign. Declining in the 17th century, the castle found new life when Lord Crewe restored parts of it in the 1700s. In 1894, industrialist William Armstrong purchased and revitalized the fortress, adding lavish interiors and preserving its medieval grandeur.
Today, visitors explore more than just monumental walls: the medieval kitchens and keep speak to everyday castle life, the grand Victorian-era King’s Hall impresses, and the Armstrong & Aviation Artefacts Museum in the former laundry reveals feats of industrial ingenuity. Outside, battles of sand and sea host rare plants and wildlife along the SSSI-protected dunes at the castle’s foot.
Films like The Last Kingdom and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny have captured its rugged beauty. Whether soaking in panoramic North Sea views, tracing the steps of Northumbrian kings, or marvelling at Norse swords and 19th-century engines, Bamburgh Castle offers a sweeping journey through nearly fifteen centuries of northern English history.
5. Conwy Castle, Conwy, Wales
Conwy Castle in north Wales, perched on a rocky ridge overlooking the Conwy Estuary, was built by King Edward I between 1283 and 1289 as part of his strategic “iron ring” of fortresses during the conquest of Wales. Designed by master mason James of St George, it once cost around £15,000, an astonishing sum at the time.
A rectangular fortress featuring eight massive towers, twin barbicans, and solid curtain walls as much as 15 ft thick, it was intended to project both military strength and administrative authority. Inside, well-preserved royal apartments showcase medieval comfort and privacy, complete with a private garden and chapel.
Visitors today can climb spiral staircases in the great towers, walk completely around the battlements, and enjoy sweeping views of Snowdonia to the west and the town’s medieval walls below. Conwy Castle endured sieges during Welsh revolts, sheltered Richard II, and was damaged during the Civil War before becoming a romantic ruin in the 19th century.
Now protected by Cadw and designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it remains one of Europe’s finest late‐13th‑century military fortresses.
6. Dover Castle, Kent, England
Dover Castle, perched atop the White Cliffs of Kent, has guarded England’s shores since Roman times. Its origins trace back to an Iron Age hill fort, followed by a Roman lighthouse around AD 50, the oldest standing Roman structure in Britain.
After 1066, William the Conqueror recognized its strategic importance and reinforced it. Most of the existing keep and concentric walls date to Henry II’s reign in the late 12th century, making it one of Europe’s earliest examples of concentric castle design.
Inside, the Great Tower recreates royal court life circa 1180s. Nearby, the Saxon church of St Mary in Castro stands next to the ancient Roman Pharos lighthouse. Below the cliffs lies a labyrinth of tunnels from the Napoleonic era and World War II, where Admiral Ramsay coordinated the Dunkirk evacuation in 1940.
Visitors today can explore the Secret Wartime Tunnels, scale the medieval battlements for sweeping Channel views, and experience family-friendly exhibitions like “Dover Castle Under Siege”. As “England’s Key,” it blends two millennia of history, military, royal, and civic, within one commanding fortress.
7. Warwick Castle, Warwickshire, England
Warwick Castle stands stoic on a sandstone bluff beside the River Avon, a medieval fortress born of Norman ambition in 1068 when William the Conqueror built a motte-and-bailey stronghold . Over the next century, its wooden walls were replaced by stone, and between 1330–1360 enhancements like Caesar’s Tower and Guy’s Tower transformed it into a formidable symbol of feudal might.
This castle isn’t stuck in the past. It pulses with life. Inside, the Great Hall and State Rooms showcase royal grandeur, while guided tours reveal stories of the Kingmaker, Richard Neville, who held Edward IV prisoner within its walls . In summer, the courtyard erupts into action with jousting, the thunderous Legend of the Trebuchet siege re-enactment, and The Falconer’s Quest bird-of-prey show.
Families adore Zog Live and the Horrible Histories maze, while thrill-seekers can brave the ramparts and Princess Tower. After dark, the castle hosts eerie Ghost Tower evenings in the Watergate Tower, where Fulke Greville’s ghost is said to wander.
8. Chepstow Castle, Monmouthshire, Wales
Chepstow Castle, perched dramatically on a limestone cliff above the River Wye in Monmouthshire, Wales, is often hailed as Britain’s oldest surviving post‑Roman stone fortress. Commissioned in 1067 by William fitz Osbern, a trusted ally of William the Conqueror, it guarded a vital river crossing into Wales.
As successive magnates took control: William Marshal, Roger Bigod, and Charles Somerset, the castle evolved over centuries. Marshal added the iconic twin‑towered gatehouse and divided the site into three baileys; Bigod later introduced lavish domestic quarters and the curved “Marten’s Tower,” complete with its own chapel.
Visitors today wander through layered history: mighty curtain walls, the Great Tower, and Tudor-era rooms that echo both martial purpose and noble residence. Remarkably, the castle still houses Europe’s oldest medieval doors, dated to before 1190 and preserved inside. Sites like Marten’s Tower, named after Henry Marten, a regicide held there, remind us of the Civil War’s turbulent echoes.
Managed by Cadw, Chepstow hosts reenactments, falconry displays, and seasonal events that bring its rock-hewn chambers to life. Whether tracing Norman ambition, gazing across the Wye, or imagining medieval feasts in its halls, Chepstow Castle offers a captivating slice of Welsh and Marcher‑lord history.
9. Alnwick Castle, Northumberland, England
Alnwick Castle in Northumberland has stood sentinel since the late 11th century, with records dating back to 1138 describing it as “most heavily fortified”. It has been home to the Percy family, now the Dukes of Northumberland, for over 700 years, making it the second-largest inhabited castle in England.
Originally built post-Norman Conquest, the castle was modernized over centuries, notably after 1309 when Henry Percy fortified it against Scottish raids. Today, it showcases both medieval military architecture and lavish Georgian and Italianate interiors crafted by architects like Robert Adam in the 18th century.
Visitors can tour its grand State Rooms, stroll the ramparts, and explore the Abbot’s Tower, which houses the Fusiliers Museum. It’s also famed as a filming location, for Harry Potter, Downton Abbey, and more.
Adjacent to Alnwick Castle are the award-winning Alnwick Gardens, featuring the iconic Poison Garden and a spectacular Japanese cherry orchard that sees over 350,000 visitors each spring.
10. Rochester Castle, Kent, England
Rochester Castle, standing tall above the River Medway in Kent, is a formidable Norman stronghold built of Kentish ragstone. Commissioned by Bishop Gundulf between 1087 and 1089 for King William II, it stands on the site of a Roman fort and commands the ancient crossing to London.
The imposing 113‑foot keep, one of England’s tallest, was added in 1127 by Archbishop William de Corbeil under Henry I’s watch.
In 1215, the castle faced one of England’s fiercest sieges as King John attacked rebel barons. They resorted to mining with burning pig fat, toppling one corner of the keep, yet the defenders held out for two brutal months before starvation forced surrender.
Visitors today can climb the ruins of the keep’s interior, view the scarred walls, and enjoy riverside gardens on the former bailey. A sensory Smell Trail adds engaging scents, from medieval chapel incense to fish-filled storerooms, to bring history alive.
The castle park also hosts seasonal events and open‑air theatre. A short stroll brings you to Rochester Cathedral and Dickensian charm that inspired one of Britain’s great novelists.
