Category
Castles
From Norman motte-and-bailey to Edward I's great Welsh fortresses to romantic Victorian fakes. Britain has more castles per square mile than almost anywhere on earth.
1,387 places in this category.
Castles by region
Highlights
Castles Β· Mid Wales
Acton Burnell Castle
Acton Burnell Castle β Grade I listed castle in Shropshire, England, UK.
.jpg?width=1200)
Castles Β· Scottish Lowlands
Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle β castle and stately home in Alnwick, Northumberland, England, UK; seat of the Duke of Northumberland, England, UK.
Castles Β· North East England
Appleby Castle
Appleby Castle β Grade I listed English country house in Appleby-in-Westmorland, United Kingdom.
%2C_Wales_44.png?width=1200)
Castles Β· North Wales
Beaumaris Castle
Beaumaris Castle β castle in Beaumaris, Anglesey, Wales.
Castles Β· West Midlands
Broughton Castle
Broughton Castle β medieval manor house inΒ Oxfordshire, England, UK.
Castles Β· North Wales
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle β castle in Caernarfon, North Wales.
All castles
Castles Β· South Wales
Caerphilly Castle
Caerphilly Castle β castle in Caerphilly, Wales.
Castles Β· North Wales
Chirk Castle
Chirk Castle β medieval fortress in Wrexham County Borough, Wales.
Castles Β· North West England
Clitheroe Castle
Clitheroe Castle β castle in Lancashire, England, UK.
_(33459522640).jpg?width=1200)
Castles Β· Scottish Lowlands
Durham Castle
Durham Castle β Grade I listed historic house museum in Durham, England, UK.
Castles Β· North Wales
Harlech Castle
Harlech Castle β castle in Harlech, Gwynedd, Wales.
Castles Β· West Midlands
Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle β castle ruin in the town of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, England, UK.
.jpg?width=1200)
Castles Β· London
Lullingstone Castle
Lullingstone Castle β historic manor house in the village of Lullingstone in England.
Castles Β· South East England
Old Wardour Castle
Old Wardour Castle β Grade I listed castle in Wardour, Wiltshire, England, UK.
UNESCO World Heritage Β· London
Tower of London
Tower of London β castle in central London, United Kingdom.
Castles Β· Scottish Lowlands
Abbot's Tower
Abbot's Tower β castle in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Aberdeen Castle
Aberdeen Castle β castle in Aberdeen City, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Abergairn Castle
Abergairn Castle β castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· South Wales
Abergavenny Castle
Abergavenny Castle β Grade I listed building in Abergavenny. Ruined castle in the market town of Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Aberscross Castle
Aberscross Castle β castle near Dornoch, Highland, Scotland, UK, ruinous by the 17th century.
Castles Β· Mid Wales
Aberystwyth Castle
Aberystwyth Castle β Grade I listed castle in Ceredigion, Wales.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Achallader Castle
Achallader Castle β castle in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Achanduin Castle
Achanduin Castle β castle in Argyll and Bute, Scotland, UK.
.jpg?width=1200)
Castles Β· South West England
Affeton Castle
Affeton Castle β castle in East Worlington, Devon, England, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Aikenway Castle
Aikenway Castle β castle in Moray, Scotland, UK, now ruinous.
Castles Β· Northern Ireland
Aileach Castle
Aileach Castle β castle in Derry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland.
Castles Β· Scottish Lowlands
Ailsa Craig Castle
Ailsa Craig Castle β castle in South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Airlie Castle
Airlie Castle β castle remains and mansion in Angus, Scotland, UK.
_-_geograph.org.uk_-_202445.jpg?width=1200)
Castles Β· North Wales
Alberbury Castle
Alberbury Castle β castle in Alberbury with Cardeston, Shropshire, England, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Aldourie Castle
Aldourie Castle β 19th-century mansion incorporating a 1626 castle, by Loch Ness, Highland, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· West Midlands
Allesley Castle
Allesley Castle β motte-and-bailey castle in Coventry, West Midlands, England, UK.
Castles Β· London
Allington Castle
Allington Castle β stone-built moated castle in Allington, England.
Castles Β· East Midlands
Alton Castle
Alton Castle β Gothic-revival castle south of the river Churnet in the village of Alton, Staffordshire, England, UK.
Castles Β· South East England
Amberley Castle
Amberley Castle β Grade I listed castle in Horsham District, United Kingdom.
.jpg?width=1200)
Castles Β· South Wales
Amroth Castle
Amroth Castle β Grade I listed castle in Amroth, United Kingdom.
Castles Β· Scottish Lowlands
Annan Castle
Annan Castle β castle in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· Northern Ireland
Antrim Castle
Antrim Castle β 17th century house in Antrim, Ireland, now demolished.
Castles Β· North East England
Appleby Castle, uninhabited portions
Appleby Castle, uninhabited portions β castle in Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria, England, UK.
Castles Β· Central Scotland
Ardestie Castle
Ardestie Castle β castle, now demolished, in Angus, Scotland, UK.
.JPG?width=1200)
Castles Β· Northern Ireland
Ardglass Castle
Ardglass Castle β row of 15th century warehouses in Northern Ireland.
Castles Β· Scottish Lowlands
Ardmillan Castle
Ardmillan Castle β castle, later house, in South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK, now ruinous.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Ardross Castle
Ardross Castle β 1880-1 baronial mansion incorporating earlier house, in Highland, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Ardrossan Castle
Ardrossan Castle β castle in North Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Lowlands
Ardstinchar Castle
Ardstinchar Castle β castle in South Ayrshire, Scotland, UK.
Castles Β· Scottish Highlands
Ardtornish Castle
Ardtornish Castle β castle in Highland, Scotland, UK.
Browse castles by region
Frequently asked questions
- How many castles are there in the UK?
- Estimates of UK castles run from a couple of thousand up to 4,000 if every motte-and-bailey ruin and Victorian folly counts. We list 1,387 of the most editorially significant β every entry has at minimum a Wikipedia article or quality OpenStreetMap data behind it.
- What's the oldest castle still standing in the UK?
- Chepstow Castle in Wales (begun 1067) is the oldest surviving stone-built castle in Britain. The Tower of London's White Tower (begun 1078) is also a strong candidate.
- Which castles are free to enter?
- Many ruined castles in the open countryside are free β Castell Coch (gardens), Lochmaben, Carreg Cennen, Yester. Major attractions like the Tower of London, Edinburgh Castle and Windsor Castle charge full admission.
- Are these places free to visit?
- Many places in the guide are free to enter β almost every national museum, every public park and garden, every parish church and cathedral. Castles, historic houses and theme parks usually charge admission; National Trust and English Heritage members visit those properties free.
- Where does the data come from?
- Every entry is built from open data: OpenStreetMap (locations, tags, opening hours), Wikipedia (descriptions), Wikidata (structured facts and operator information), Wikimedia Commons (images), ONS open data (population). The site never makes runtime API calls β everything is fetched at build time and committed.
- How often is this updated?
- A weekly automated job re-fetches the upstream sources and rebuilds the site. Manual editorial corrections are applied as overlays on top of the open data.