Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Moments in a longer story.
Selected milestones in the history of Warwick Castle.
On this page
A burh, a castle and a country house
These dates describe the place you can learn about here. They are not a company timeline for Apollonaut.
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914
A Saxon burh
A burh is established at Warwick, with defences begun by Æthelflæd.
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1068
A Norman castle
William the Conqueror builds a motte-and-bailey castle on the site.
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12th century
Rebuilt in stone
The wooden castle is rebuilt in stone in the reign of Henry II.
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1330–1360
Great towers
Caesar’s Tower, Guy’s Tower and a new gatehouse are built under Thomas de Beauchamp.
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1469
A king held prisoner
Richard Neville, the Kingmaker, holds Edward IV at the castle.
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1604
Fulke Greville
James I grants the castle to Fulke Greville, who makes it a country house.
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1749–1757
Capability Brown
The grounds and park are landscaped.
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1786–1788
The conservatory
A conservatory is built to hold the Warwick Vase.
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3 December 1871
Fire
A fire destroys the Great Hall; it is restored in the years that follow.
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1894–1940
Electric light
The old mill by the river generates electricity for the castle.
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1978
A new owner
The Tussauds Group buys the castle from the Greville family.
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2007
Merlin Entertainments
Merlin Entertainments begins running the castle.
Follow the stories behind the dates
A timeline is a beginning. The longer history introduces the people and places; the sources below provide further context.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
