Heritage organisations play critical role in managing the UK’s historic environment, whether through preservation of the physical remains of castles or fortifications, archiving critical documents, or communicating our history to the public.
English Heritage manages more English castles than any other organisation. The current organisation was created in 2015, when the previous government heritage agency of the same name was divided into two bodies. The origin of their collection of castles stretches back to the creation of the office of the Kings’ Works within the Royal Household in the medieval period, but their modern collection is primarily the result of acquisitions in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
English Heritage uses a wide range of interpretation techniques; their smaller and less popular sites typically depend on simple signage, while the more developed properties use a range of displays, actors and events. Membership provides free or reduced price entry to their locations.
Historic England, the government agency formerly part of English Heritage until 2015, is responsible for protecting the UK’s historic environment. It maintains records of listed properties, provides advice on maintaining properties, and carries out research on historic sites.
The National Trust dates from 1895, and has various castles in its collection of buildings and landscapes across the UK. Membership provides free access to the National Trust’s sites.
Cadw, the Welsh historic environment agency, has 127 historic sites, including many castles and town walls – including the World Heritage site in North Wales. Like its English equivalent, Cadw uses a range of techniques to interpret and communicate the history and modern significance of its sites, typically in both the English and Welsh language. Membership provides free access to Cadw’s sites.
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales (Comisiwn Brenhinol Henebion Cymru) is a valuable source for Welsh castles, and maintains the National Monuments Record of Wales. The equivalent English body, the Royal Commission on the Historical Monuments of England, merged with English Heritage in 1999; it published a range of county level studies, many of which addressed English castles.
The UK’s National Archives contain millions of historical documents, created or collected by government departments and courts of law. These contain many records relevant to the UK’s castles, and are open to the public.
Attribution
The text of this page is licensed under under CC BY-NC 2.0.
“Image260“, author Pat Reynolds, released under CC BY-NC 2.0; “The falconer Andy Damage and his ‘team‘”, author Mark Whittaker, released under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.