HUNTLY CASTLE
KENILWORTH CASTLE
KIRBY MUXLOE CASTLE
KIDWELLY CASTLE
KILCHURN CASTLE
LANCASTER CASTLE
LAUGHARNE CASTLE
LAUNCESTON CASTLE
LEEDS CASTLE
LEWES CASTLE
LINCOLN CASTLE
LLAWHADEN CASTLE
LUDLOW CASTLE
LYMPNE CASTLE
MANORBIER CASTLE
MIDDLEHAM CASTLE
MONTGOMERY CASTLE
NEWARK CASTLE
NUNNEY CASTLE
OKEHAMPTON CASTLE
OLD WARDOUR CASTLE
ORFORD CASTLE
OYSTERMOUTH CASTLE
PEEL CASTLE
PEMBROKE CASTLE
PENDENNIS CASTLE
PEVENSEY CASTLE
PEVERIL CASTLE
PICKERING CASTLE
PORTCHESTER CASTLE
PRUDHOE CASTLE
RABY CASTLE
RAGLAN CASTLE
RESTORMEL CASTLE
RHUDDLAN CASTLE
RICHMOND CASTLE
RIPLEY CASTLE
ROCHESTER CASTLE
SCARBOROUGH CASTLE
SCOTNEY CASTLE
SHERBORNE OLD CASTLE
SKENFRITH CASTLE
SKIPTON CASTLE
SOUTHSEA CASTLE
ST MAWES CASTLE
ST MICHAEL'S MOUNT
STIRLING CASTLE
TAMWORTH CASTLE
TATTERSHALL CASTLE
TINTAGEL CASTLE
TONBRIDGE CASTLE
TOTNES CASTLE
TOWER OF LONDON
TRETOWER CASTLE
UPNOR CASTLE
URQUHART CASTLE
WALMER CASTLE
WARKWORTH CASTLE
WARWICK CASTLE
WHITE CASTLE
WIGMORE CASTLE
WINDSOR CASTLE
WITTON CASTLE
YARMOUTH CASTLE

In total, some 5000 castles have been built throughout England and Ireland since the time of the Norman Conquest. Very few existed when William the Conqueror arrived in England, but by the end of his reign the motte & bailey castle had become a symbol of Norman domination, with about 200 having been constructed by that time. Most of these early castles were of wooden construction, notably oak, perhaps with some stonework, but many of these were later re-built in local stone.

Castles were erected to serve two main purposes: to provide shelter, and to act as a fortress should the family be subjected to attack. Unlike many buildings, there is no standard model for a castle. Each building was an individual as the owner, the completed layout being more dependent on cost, domestic needs and materials locally available. The majority did include one, or both, of the 'traditional' features of a castle. A great tower (keep), whether it be rectangular, square or cylindrical, and a fortified enclosure. Following the rash of Norman building, the next phase of military strongholds to be built were Edward I's imposing Welsh castles. Massive thick-walled constructions, defended by moats, drawbridges, and gatehouses these were virtually impregnable to attack, until the cannon came along. Following those three decades, castle building for defensive purposes went into decline, and the new castles concentrated more on domestic comfort.

The last 'real' military outposts were a series of coastal forts sanctioned by Henry VIII. During the 18th/19th centuries several 'sham' castles appeared but these were no more than castellated manor houses, built to romanticise a forgotten era. Today's survivals, whether they be military strongholds or palatial residences, stand as impressive reminders of the power and wealth of the noblemen who once owned them. Sadly, many are just mere fragments of their former splendour, but a few remain inhabitated to this day.