Hi everybody. Recently, I had the chance to visit the Norman Castle at the heart the of Exeter, because, as an American, I love castles and go gaga when I see them. Pictures below...
While the castle is of Norman design, there are several Anglo-Saxon aspects of the building, among them the design of the windows..
The castle was built by William and the Conquer as a way to demonstrate his new power and hold onto the region. Exeter was a center of resistance against the Normans, so William figured that a large garrison in a giant castle would be enough to keep the population in line. Did it work? William never had to retake the town, but his grandson, King Stephan, eventually had to retake the castle during the rebellion of Baldwin de Redvers. As a testament to the castles strength, it took a three month siege before the garrison surrendered.
Over time, the castle has played many roles. At one point, it was the home to the last witch trial in England...
I can imagine that their trial went something like this...
Today the castle is home to several gardens that offer a relaxing break from the cities buys shopping district...
In particular, the gardens offer a magnificent view of the city, and help explain why King William decided to build a castle there.
That's all for now. I'm hoping to check out the Royal Albert Museum sometime in the near future and hopefully get out to Dartmoor, but until then here's a picture of a double-decker bus...
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