Kenilworth is one of England’s most spectacular castles. Once standing at the heart of a vast hunting ground and surrounded by a huge man-made lake, it represented a rich prize to the generations of great men who owned and embellished it – among them John of Gaunt, Henry V and Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester. The castle’s fortifications were dismantled in 1650, and the ruins later became famous thanks in part to Walter Scott’s 1821 romance Kenilworth. Today only the Leicester Gatehouse is habitable, and the rest of the castle is a glorious ruin, though thoroughly accessible to visitors. English Heritage took over operation of the castle in 1974, and under their auspices, the fine Tudor stable block was restored to house exhibitions on the castle and its history.
