Kenilworth, near Warwick
Warwickshire
England
Circa Date: 1120s core w/later alterations and additions
Status: Ruin
House Open to Public: Yes
Country House: Yes
The castle ruins from a 1914 photo
The ruins of the castle from a circa 1847 engraving by M. Birkett Foster, printed in London by William Mackenzie.
The castle from the Jun 30, 1835 issue of "The Penny Magazine"
The remains of the great hall from the Jun 30, 1835 issue of "The Penny Magazine"
The castle as it would have appeared in the 18th century. From a circa 1950s Johnson Brothers teacup saucer from the Old Britain Castles series.
Leicester's Gatehouse from a circa 1895 postcard
Leicester's Gatehouse from a 1908 postcard
A late 19th century lithograph of the interior of Leicester's Gatehouse from Joseph Nash's "Interiors of Old English Mansions"
House & Family History: Kenilworth has been at the forefront of English history many times during its long life. In 1266 the Castle was the focus of the Siege of Kenilworth, believed to be the longest siege in English history. King Edward II was imprisoned at Kenilworth with his estranged wife, Queen Isabella. It was here, on January 24, 1327, that Edward abdicated. During the famous Wars of the Roses Kenilworth was a major base of operations of the Lancastrians (the wearers of the red rose). In 1575 Queen Elizabeth I paid a famous 19-day visit to Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, at Kenilworth. In 1649, during the Civil War, Kenilworth was virtually destroyed by Parliamentary forces to prevent it being used by Royalist troops; only two of its buildings remain habitable today (it is the largest castle ruin in England). Beginning in the 18th century Kenilworth became a tourist destination; the Castle reached its peak of fame in the 19th century after the 1826 publication of Sir Walter Scott's novel "Kenilworth." In 1873 the University of Pennsylvania (one of the famous Ivy League schools) began an annual tradition called Ivy Day when a twig of ivy brought to Philadelphia from the grounds of Kenilworth was planted in front of the main façade of the university's College Hall, later famous as the model for the family mansion in "The Addams Family" (creator Charles Addams was a Penn graduate). This annual tradition of "planting the ivy," which occurred at other prestigious East Coast colleges, was the derivation of the Ivy League.
Comments: Architectural historian Anthony Emery on Kenilworth: It is "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant for its scale, form and quality of workmanship."
Title: Ivy League, The
Author: Cappello, Daniel
Year Published: 2012
Reference: pg. 159
Publisher: New York: Assouline Publishing
ISBN: 9781614280095
Book Type: Hardback
House Listed: Grade I
Park Listed: Grade II
Past Seat / Home of: King John, 13th century. John of Gaunt, 14th century. Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, 16th century.
Current Ownership Type: English Heritage
Primary Current Ownership Use: Visitor Attraction
House Open to Public: Yes
Phone: 01926-852-078
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk
Historic Houses Member: No