The Great Britain - the land of castles and palaces

I would like to present merely few from many castles and palaces that are located in the Great Britain. This country can boast long and turbulent history which is reflected in the marvellous architectural structures. Some of them were inscribed into UNESCO’s World Heritage List: Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd (1986), Durham Castle and Cathedral (1986), Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey including Saint Margaret’s Church (1987), Blenheim Palace (1987) or Tower of London (1988).

In the north-west part of Wales there is the county of Gwynedd. That’s here, the most precious examples of military architecture of the medieval Britain are located. The fortified castles of Beaumarais and Harlech and the complex of fortifications of Caernarfon and Conwy were designed by the most famous military engineer of the end of the 18th century – James de Saint George. The hawkish king Edward I was a great strategist who conquered Scotland and Wales. Those military fortification in Gwynedd bear testimony to his genius.

The giant Cathedral in Durnheim was erected at the turn of the 11th and 12th century in the nort-east England. It is the most beautiful and the biggest structure built in the Norman style, in England. Behind the Cathedral, there is towering the monumental castle – the former Normal fortress. Through ages, the castle was turned into the seat of Durham’s dukes-bishops. The fortress was rebuilt several times, so its medieval appearance can’t be admired today.

Blenheim Palace was designed in the Baroque style by John Vanbrugh. It is located in the county of Oxfordshire (the central part of England). The palace is one of the most wonderful 18th – century aristocratic seats. It was the gift of the Queen and the nation to John Churchill who gained a victory in the war with France and Bavaria in 1704 in Blenheim. The palace is surrounded by magnificent picturesque park.