Winchester Castle holds a prominent position in English history. It was built in 1067, within a year of the Norman Conquest. At the time, it was one of the greatest strongholds in England, and for over a century it served as the seat of government, before that position was taken by London.
The castle was extended and rebuilt under Henry III, who added the Great Hall, and Edward II. In 1302 Edward and his second wife, Margaret of France, narrowly escaped death when the royal apartments of the castle were destroyed by fire.
Little remains from that early period, however. The castle was held by royalist forces during the English Civil War, and when the fortress finallly fell to Parliamentary troops in 1646, Oliver Cromwell ordered its destruction.
The site was later acquired by Charles II. It was Charles' intention to built upon this site a grand royal palace, called King's House, elaborate enough to rival the palace of Versailles in France. Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to begin building King's House, but plans were abandoned by James II. Today, only the Great Hall of Henry III (1222-35) survives, offering a glimpse of what the original castle must have looked like.Читать весь материал.
