True Ghost Stories: Real Haunted Castles and Fortresses

By Zachery Knowles

The Sexton’s musings (spoilers are likely):

As we move forward with our “non-fiction” journey things will continue to be a little different. Knowles appears to be less travel writer and more into the actual stories/experiences connected with the locations so this should be a fun read. There is less history mentioned and more information about run-ins with the spirits. Do understand that because of this most of the information is second hand and open to interpretation. He explores stories from haunted castles and fortresses from all over the world (mostly in Europe), so while there will probably be a few return visits to some American locations we have a whole new set from other countries to explore. I will continue to talk on the chapters in a similar way to Terrance Zepke’s books and will add pictures with links to sites with additional information. I will only be doing brief overviews of what is said, to get the specific story you’ll have to read the book. Hopefully we learn more about the experiences that few of us ever get to experience and have a few good chills along the way. Shall we be on our way to visit and revisit some of the world’s haunted castles and fortresses? I’m feeling a bit peckish.

I enjoy the author’s introduction to the book. I think that it is well written and the style is complementary to subject matter.

Hampton Court Palace, Richmond, England

This is the first run in with douche nozzle King Henry VIII. This dude really took the cake. The building of this rather impressive pile of stones started in 1515 for Cardinal Thomas Woolsey. Unfortunately for Woolsey he managed to get on the bad side of Henry VIII who ended up seizing the palace in 1529. Over the years renovations and additions have been abundant. Currently the palace is open for tours.

The ghosts that reside here love to include themselves in the photos of tourists so should you visit don’t be surprised if you end up with a photobomb in ghostly for. This happened to a couple of 12 year old girls who were visiting. They captured the most famous ghost of the palace known as the Grey Lady. It is suspected by many that this entity is the ghost of Dame Sybil Penn who was servant and nurse maid to Prince Edward VI and later for Queen Elizabeth I. While taking care of Elizabeth she managed to contract smallpox from her mistress which in turn caused her to lose her life. She was 25 when she died. It was when her resting place was disrupted that she started to make her appearances.

Catherine Howard was the fifth wife of Henry VIII. She just a girl when she married the nasty POS. Eventually he tired of her and accused her of adultery. She was sent to the Tower and was executed for her crime.

This location is also said to house the ghost of Jane Seymour who was also a wife of Henry VIII. As a matter of fact it is thought that Henry accused Anne Boleyn of adultery and incest to get her out of the way paving the road for him to marry Jane. Jane ended up dying twelve days after giving birth to Edward VI.

In 2003 CCTV footage caught site of a robed figure in a doorway. He was given the name “skeletor”. Apparently there were many strange things that occurred within a 72 hour time period around this doorway.

There are other honorable mentions in this chapter and more details on the above hauntings that you’ll have to read the chapter to discover. Or you could always go for a visit…

Warwick Castle, Warwick, England

An area that has seen its fair share of violence through war. It’s home to a ginormous collection of armor and weapons not to mention that it is believed to have been designed by the daughter of Alfred the great, King of Wessex. This might not seem all that amazing for today but back then a woman being an architect and designing and building something like this is a huge deal. Plus she designed it to be very maze like which is very interesting. There are several different hauntings at this location.

The most famous individuals said to haunt this impressive building is that of Sir Fulke Greville. Greville was given the castle by King James I in 1604 which was not actually much of a prize at the time. The castle had become very run down and Greville made a lot of restorations to the property. As a wealthy man with no wife or children he had the means to do so. Apparently when he made his will out, his trusty valet Ralph Heywood was given a small amount of money. Considering that Greville had no wife and children to leave his estate and Heywood having been loyal for many years felt slighted. Apparently he felt that he deserved more in return for his years of service so he made the completely rational decision to stab his employer one morning while helping him dress at his London home. Eventually, after a month of suffering, Greville did succumb to his wounds and Heywood was brought back to Warwick Castle to die and be interred. Allegedly, guilt riddled Heywood committed suicide by slitting his own throat. Tough way to go.

It should not be a surprise that the dungeon or armoire of a castle would be haunted. In fact a dungeon that is not haunted did not operate properly for a dungeon when it was still in action. There should be some tortured souls there. In addition to the dungeon, the Kenilworth room is home to the spirit of a young girl who likes to join in on tourist photos.

It’s said that a disgruntled servant named Molly Bloxham cursed the castle. Apparently she was caught stealing and her punishment was public embarrassment and torture (probably a good whipping). She felt this unfair and decided to seat the castle with a massive monstrous black dog to torment them. I mean for crying out loud, don’t take shit that doesn’t belong to you and maybe you won’t get punished for it.   

Additional phenomena include the sound of music, sightings of an elderly woman given the nickname The Grey Lady and phantom footsteps. Read the chapter to find out more details on all of the phenomena.

Belcourt Castle, Newport, Rhode Island

We have visited Belcourt Castle before in Terrence Zepke’s “Spookiest Objects”. A house with an interesting history. Apparently it started with humble beginnings with only one bedroom and one bathroom to its name, in fact the stable was more grand than the lodge but soon the plans changed and those plans gave birth to a sixty room mansion that was worth three million dollars in 1894. With inflation that house would be worth over seventy million dollars today. The man footing the bill was Oliver Belmont. Eventually, after being passed from family member to family member the house was sold in 1940 it was sold to an individual outside of the family. Apparently ownership changed hands several times until it was bought by Harold Tinney who renovated the mansion back to its former glory plus. He filled the mansion with many fantastic pieces of artwork and glorious antiques. Now our author made note that it was Oliver Balmont’s wife that was the antiques nut, and she may have been a collector but, I’m sure many of them were lost when the grand estate fell into disrepair.

There are several hauntings believed to be taking place in this mansion that Knowels talks about. Funny enough there is very little mention of the haunted salt chairs that Zepke talks about. Knowls mentions the chairs as part of the haunted ballroom. He does mention that some have been kicked out of the chairs but an unseen individual as well as strange feelings so electricity, chills and not feeling well when around these thrones of kings.

Other huantings that Knowles mentions are the moving suits of armor, the screaming suit of armor, the ghostly monk (who is now at peace as the object he was attached to was moved to the chapel), and a mirror that plays with people’s minds.   

Edinburgh Castle, Edinburgh, Scotland

I feel like most people know the name Edinburgh, whether it be the city or the castle that makes its home there. The one thing that I was not aware of was that the castle sits dead center in the city that is shares a name with. It also sits on top of a 700 year old, inactive volcano know as Castle Rock. As this place is advanced in the age department and has seen many conflicts it is not surprising that there are many hauntings that have been reported.

Under the castle there is a maze of tunnels and chambers that have had many different incidents reported. This series of chambers and tunnels are known as the “Screaming Vaults”. The tunnels are narrow, claustrophobic panic inducing places to visit. That alone would make people uncomfortable but add on the fact that the tunnels have a history of criminal activity (including a set of serial killers) and violence and spirits that are unhappy and you have a volatile situation.

Of course we have another dungeon that is occupied by those that have departed. Ultimately I feel like if you have a dungeon that was utilized you probably have a few spirits hanging around.

One of the individuals that was imprisoned here, while he was alive attempted to escape his imprisonment by hiding in a dung barrel…yes you heard that correctly. Hey desperate times call for desperate measures. Unfortunately the way in which the dung within the barrels was disposed of freed him permanently from his mortal coil as he fell to his death down the slope of Castle Rock. Oops… What is experienced with this haunting should be obvious, pee yew!

One of the tunnels leads to a place called the Royal Mile. Allegedly when the maze of tunnels was found in this area it was a bagpiper that was tasked with exploring them. He was supposed to play his bagpipe so that he could be located. Something happened to him at some point and the sound of his piping was no longer heard. Apparently his body was never found.

We also have a falsely accused witch in the history of this castle. We once again have to thank a greedy evil politician for a ghost. Story goes that Lady Janet Douglas aka Lady Gamis’s husband was considered a threat to the sitting king, James V. After her husband died James V put forth charges of witchcraft against Lady Glamis. Imprisoned in complete darkness for some duration, by the time she was finally burned alive she was completely blind. Apparently this was a common occurrence at this castle. A grand total of 300 women also met their end tied to a wooden stake and set ablaze.

There are several other reports of various paranormal experiences all over this castle. Considering its history this should not be a surprise to anyone. Please take the time to read about the above hauntings in more detail and additional incidents that have been experienced by visitors.   

The Tower of London, London, England

I think this might be the longest chapter yet from this author. The Tower of London has a lot to offer us! Where to start…

The ghosts of many executed nobles and royalty haunt this location. The struggle for power is real my friends. People were getting their heads cut off left and right. I have given some of the history behind these folks but you will have to read the chapter to find out about the paranormal experiences.

The first haunting mentioned is one that seems to hang out around the armor of Henry VIII. It’s not certain that the haunting is that of Henry VIII but it would make sense considering many of the experiences mentioned are violent in nature. And this dude was ambitious, bloody and violent while he was alive.

Henry VII great-niece Jane Grey made a leap for the throne after Henry VIII death. Trying to prove that the right to the throne was hers. However Mary, the daughter of Henry VIII didn’t take to kindly to that and after she was crowned queen she ordered the execution of Jane, her husband Guilford Dudley and several other male members of her (Janes) family. Jane was only 16 years old when she was executed.

One of the more disgusting and evil incidents responsible for the hauntings at this location are the suspicious deaths of Prince Edward the V, 12 (who was heir to the throne) and his brother Prince Richard, Duke of York, 10. Parliament declared these two young boys to be illegitimate and were sentenced to the tower of London (a prison at the time). The boys disappeared one day suspiciously. Many years later, during construction of the White Tower staircase, the skeletal remains of two young boys were found under the stairs in a chest. It is suspected that their uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, murdered the boy to keep them from ruining his plans to raise in the political aristocracy.

The Countess of Salisbury, Margaret de la Pole was the mother of a cardinal who was brave enough to denounce Henry VIII and his assholishness. When this got back to the wind bag himself, Henry, he was enraged. Unfortunately he could not exact his revenge on the cardinal as he was in France at the time so he decided to take it out on his mother Margaret. Margaret was 70 at the time. Interestingly enough, she was given a window to run during her execution and she took it. Unfortunately she was not able to escape the crazy executioners axe for very long.

Henry the VI (who apparently had a mental breakdown while in power – can you blame him?) was deposed by Richard III (Duke of York) son Edward IV and it was Edward that sent Henry VI to reside within the Tower of London. Henry IV was eventually restored back to power but it did not last and Edward regained control of the throne but this time he was not to be ousted. Allegedly Henry the VI was stabbed to death in his quarters by the order of King Edward IV. I buy that. I mean why risk losing the throne again. Just get rid of the competition.

The death of Thomas Becket, who was appointed Archbishop by King Henry II. They had been friends for many years previous and King Henry was looking for a way to get his thumb on the church (at the time the church had their own court and justice and priests that were committing heinous crimes like rape and murder were not being punished for their actions.). This did not work out so well as once Thomas was appointed, the power got to his head and he became a complete and total asshole. For years the two were at odds with one another, Tomas even fleeing to France for six years. Eventually the Kings knights tracked him down and it seems to me that his death was something of an accident. I think Henry was looking to frighten him into submission but unfortunately this was not what ended up happening. Apparently his brains ended up all over the cathedral floor. Nice huh?

I feel like most people know the name Anne Boleyn, who was one of the many wives of Henry VIII. Henry being the fat, nasty douche nozzle that he was decided that he was done with Anne and falsely accused her of adultery, incest, and conspiring against the King. It’s believed that he wanted her out of the way so that he could marry Jane Seymour. Honestly after looking at his portraits death is better.

As for Lady Arbella Stuart, wife of William Seymour were guilty of nothing but not getting the permission of King James I to marry. Seriously King James? So James decides that he is going to lock William up in the Tower and put Arbella on house arrest. Being a strong woman Arbella decides to plot a rescue for her husband but it ultimately failed. Even though she fled she was found and sent back to England where she was, this time, locked up in the Tower. She was never set free after that and sat in the Tower until she died. Interestingly enough her husband eventually was able to make his way to freedom but apparently he left her there to rot like a selfish dick.  

King John apparently set up a small menagerie of animals during his reign. There was everything from Lions to Elephants to Macaques. Apparently, hard up for entertainment, King John would pit the animals against each other for guests (pit John against a Lion, now that would have been entertainment). Eventually the Duke of Wellington had them relocated to a proper zoo to live out their lives. (Thank you Duke of Wellington)

There are a few other honorable mentions near the end of the chapter that you will have to read for yourself. Needless to say this is an involved location with a very rich history of violence and tragedy at the hands of greedy, power hungry politicians.

Castle Fraser, Sauchen, Scotland

The most unique thing about this location is the actual design of the castle itself. It’s a z-plan design…apparently. You also have the normal political conflict that is always accompanied by “treason”, execution, and murder.

The ghost that starts this chapter is that of a princess who was murdered while a visitor at the castle (i.e. victim of political conflict…I’d imagine). Apparently she was killed in her bed and then drug down the back stairs. Only thing is that bodies do bleed for a while so of course this dragging of the body made an awful mess that the servants just could not get rid of. So they covered it with wood. Wood that is apparently still there. I would love to see if the stains are still there on the stone below.

The next ghost is one with a rather impressive list of names, Lady Marie Augusta Gabrielle Berenere Blanche Drummond. Yes it’s a mouth full. Only a few short years after she was married to Frederick Frazer she died from TB. TB (aka consumption) killed so many people as we know from our haunted cemetery books.

There is also a menagerie of other paranormal experiences that people have had in this location. Read the chapter to find out more.

Leap Castle, Coolderry, Ireland

Just like all of the other castles in this book this location has seen a lot of conflict and bloodshed over the years. The one unique thing with this particular location is that it was built over a druid initiation site where a plethora of ceremonies have been performed. So that probably has left its mark.

Our first ghost is that of Thaddeus O’Carroll, a priest at Leap Castle, whose father neglected to name a successor before his demise. Poor Thaddeus was killed by his greedy asshole brother Teighe. Interestingly enough his Teighe decided to run him through with a sword while Thaddeus was performing mass.

Then we have the spirit that has been deemed The Red Lady as she seems to be a little stabby stabby. She is believed to have been a young woman that was captured by the O’Carrolls and rapped repeatedly. Nice family these O’Carrolls. I put Teighe in the lead for this woman’s assault. Doesn’t seem to be a stretch personality wise for him. Legend has it that she became pregnant (no birth control back then you know) and was subsequently killed along with the child.

Oh and a whole clan of people known as the McMahons were poisoned by the O’Carrolls after being invited to a celebration dinner for a victory over an O’Carroll enemy…way to treat your allies dicks!

There are several other entities that inhabit this castle. They include Little Emily, the Barrel Man, an “It” that emanates a vomit inducing, rotting smell when it appears and poltergeists who seem to manifest when anyone attempts to renovate the castle. Learn more details about these and the above discussed hauntings in this chapter.

Eltz Castle, Wierschem, Germany

An absolutely beautiful structure sat atop a hill on an island. This is definitely a fortress worth fighting for and its history is such that this is exactly what had to happen.

Our author focuses on one specific story associated with this castle and it is that of Countess Agnes Eltz. A tomboy and strong willed woman throughout her life playing knight instead of dolls. She was not one to sit by and complacently go along with her father who chose a suitor who was an asshole dickhead shit-for-brains prick. In fact she ignored him for as long as she could and eventually ended up smacking him a good one across the face when he decided he was going to forcibly kiss her at a party. This did not sit well with him and he ended up coming with some of his men, waited for the men to leave the castle and attacked (fucking coward if you ask me, her instincts about him were obviously correct). Agnes being Agnes, she was put on her brother’s armor and attacked him as he entered her home. Ultimately he ended up killing her, apparently he was surprised it was her when he removed the helmet…dumbass. Not sure what his plan was…kidnap her, rape her, force her into a loveless worthless marriage? Maybe all of the above? Oh and apparently he disappeared after he killed her as he was so distraught about what he had done…um what did you think was going to happen douche nozzle? Home invasion is not the way to a woman’s heart dipshit! The breastplate and battle-axe that she wore are both on display in her room today.

The details of the haunting is something you are only going to know if you read the chapter. Can’t give it all away.

Arundel Castle, West Sussex, England

Founded in 1076AD, like many of these castles, was the site of political intrigue that left its mark in some of the worst ways. There are said to be five specific spirits that still roam around and also a few more sprinkled in there for color.

The entities include: The Earl of Arundel, who was responsible for building this castle, is one of its permeant ghostly residents. Another is not a person but known as an owl that when encountered is potentially a death omen. There’s the ghost of a young woman who leapt to her death from Hiorne Tower after being rejected by the father of her unborn child (turns out he was a bishop…nice huh). A dish washing ghost has been known to be heard working away in the kitchen (doesn’t seem right to wash dishes for all eternity). A tunic-clad man that looks a lot like a monk from another age. A ghost that seems to have chosen the library as his permanent home browsing for his next read while wearing his blue silk cloths (I can relate, and would be okay spending my afterlife here reading in silk pajamas). And last but certainly not least is another animal spirit in the form of a little black dog who keeps our book loving ghost company in the library (even better, books and a dog, yup I’m set!). There are more details about these hauntings in the chapter. You just have to read it. Wink wink.

Moosham Castle, Salzburg, Austria

Beautiful and fairy-tale like this castle has a history that is unique. This castle was the site of many witch trials. Not that this did not happen at other castles however apparently this one took the cake in the number of trials that took place. Because of this it has been given the nickname of “The Witches Castle”.

Evidently there were hundreds, possibly even thousands of accused women and men tortured and executed in this location. Yes you heard that correctly, men were not safe from this persecution. Neither were children or the elderly as the ages of the executed ranged from 10 years of age to 80 years of age. Honestly the hatred that would have been felt by these people when they were alive would make for some angry spirits later. And really I can’t blame them.

Just like many of the other castles here there are specific rooms that are see more action than others. Of course we have the proverbial torture chamber, can’t have a good castle without one and then there’s the Room of Toni which is believed to be haunted by an entity that was on the other side of the fence from the accused when he was living. Refered to Henchman Toni who served as the court usher during the trials. The room that he haunts were his quarters while he was alive.

Other honorable mentions are feuding brothers and werewolves that allegedly stalk the surrounding forest. For more details there is always the chapter.

Houska Castle, Prague, Czech Republic

While most castles are built to keep unwanted foes out it turns out that this castle may have actually been built to keep something in. Originally built on a crater, it is believed that the gateway to hell resides within its walls and that the castle was built around it as a kind of prison so that the evil could not escape. There have been attempts to fill in the crater but they have all been unsuccessful. It seems the crater is bottomless…like those mimosas… (shameless Bob’s Burgers reference).

In an attempt to protect the surrounding village from the evil, a brilliant idea was hatched. Prisoners could volunteer to go down into the crater and report back their findings in exchange for a full pardon. Surprisingly enough there was only one taker to this offer. Allegedly he saw something that frightened him so badly that it turned his hair white and aged him a few decades. The man was committed to an asylum where he passed away not long after his admittance.

By design the castle tells the story of a place that was built to keep something in and not to be inhabited by people. The walls of the castle are not fortified like so many others so that the enemies can be kept at bay. There is no kitchen within its wall either. There is no water source to the castle and the windows are simply for show as there are walls over them in the interior.

During WWII the Nazis SS took over occupancy of the castle. We all know that the Nazis were into all kinds of occult activity so it is no surprise that they would be attracted to a place that was built to keep in the powers of Hell. The specifics of what they were doing was destroyed but it is known that whatever it was seemed important enough to surround the area around the castle with landmines.

There are several stories told in this chapter that are even a little creepy for a seasoned horror story veteran like myself. Let’s just say that I am glad that the castle is there to protect the world from whatever forces there are lurking within. Enjoy!

Chillingham Castle, Northumberland, England

Designed for practical use and not aesthetics was originally a monastery. Like many other castles in England, this one is 800 years old and has a ton of historic baggage attached to it.

The first of our entities is a young boy whose spirit would appear regularly in a halo of blue light so he was deemed “The Blue Boy”. For years he was making appearances until, during some renovations some remains were discovered behind one of the walls. It was determined that the remains belonged to a young boy (scraps of blue clothing were also found). It is suspected that this poor young man was done wrong “Cask of Amontillado” style as the tips of his fingers (the bone, let that sink in) had been damaged. Sightings started up again after the room started to be used.

There also seem to be spirits that reside in other places around the castle. One of them is the pantry, not where the food is but where the silver is kept. I personally would chose to reside in a pantry with food. Another is in the Chapel that is beside the Great Hall with a ghost that like to play with the electrics.

It is once again NOT surprising that the torture chamber aka dungeon is also a haunted area of the castle. The tools of the trade are still located within the chamber so there is no denying what occurred there. However this interesting location gets more unnerving because this castle has a room deemed “The Killing Room” aka The Edward Room which was used to execute Scottish children right after they were forced to watch their parents burn in the courtyard.

Some additional phenomena mentioned are sweet nothings being whispered in ones ear, creepy shadows with a mind of their own, a ghost that looks an awful lot like douche nozzle Henry VIII, the wife of a philandering husband who left her for her sister walking the halls and an area known as the Hanging Trees, which is pretty self-explanatory. See chapter for many more interesting details.

Larnach Castle, Dunedin, New Zealand

Sitting on a remote hilltop in the beautiful country of New Zealand this unusual castle had been the site of loneliness and tragedy. William Larnach started the construction of the castle in 1871. It took 16 years to be constructed and at the time of its completion it was completely isolated for the rest of the world.

For instance the Ballroom was built for Kate Larnach for her 21st birthday. She absolutely loved the room but unfortunately she did not have much time to enjoy it. Kate died from typhus at the age of 26.

Eliza Larnach, mother to Kate, unhappy by the remoteness of the castle lived a lonely life for many years until she died from a stroke at the age of 38. William then decided that it would be a good idea to marry his late wives younger sister Mary who also died at the age of 38 from blood poisoning. He then married once again at the age of 62, to a woman much younger than himself who consequently ended up having an affair with her step-son. This betrayal along with some financial issues pushed William to take his own life via gunshot to the head.

There are stories of their hauntings within the chapter for your reading enjoyment. So much sadness seems to surround this place which is a damn shame because it’s so lovely.  

Charleville Castle, Tullamore, Ireland

Comparatively this castle is a youngster as it was built in 1798 which is hundreds of years after most of the others explored here. Interestingly enough this castle just so happens to have been built on top of a druid burial ground which as we all know spells trouble in the paranormal department.

The first spirit mentioned is one that happened via tragic accident. Little Harriet went upstairs to wash for dinner and on her way down she decided to take the bannister express. Unfortunately she lost control and fell to her death onto the stone floor below. Horrible accident. Luckily based in the accounts in this book she seems to be happy, still playing near the stairs (she didn’t learn her lesson) and in her old bedroom.

The spirits in the dungeon of this castle are not as happy go lucky as our little Harriet. Apparently, and not surprisingly, the spirits found in this area of the castle are not in the best of moods. Can’t imagine why. It’s believed that the castles original owner was into occult activity and built the castle to the certain specifications of Freemason symbolism. Allegedly this would allow him to maximize the powers granted through these symbols and the rituals attached to them. Apparently this is more than just rumor as an alter was found behind one of the walls during renovations.

Other areas of the castle that have other worldly inhabitants are the ballroom with its orbs and mists and the library where a sexist freemason spirit resides and an elemental who hangs out near the balcony. The Queen’s Chamber and the King’s Chamber have also both seen some action and not the kind your filthy mind is manifesting.

There are several additional entities that reside both inside and outside the castle. Knowles gives some details on these additional entities in the chapter.

Castle of Bardi, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

  Ah Italy…great food, beautiful architecture, sensational views, blue water and wine and art at every turn. Located in Northern Italy Castillo de Bardi (aka Landi Castle) sits atop a spray of red jasper has seen its fair share of tragedy.

The most famous of ghost stories, like so many before it, is entrenched in a tragic love story. It’s the story of Soleste and the love of her life, a knight by the name of Moroello. Her father had arranged her marriage to another but this did not stop the star crossed lovers. Unfortunately Soleste made the mistake of assuming that her knight in shining armor had been killed in battle when she saw the enemy approaching the castle. In this moment of utter despair she threw herself off the wall, plunging to her death. When Moroello found out about the death of his lady love he too made the decision to plunge to his death as well.

In addition to the ghost of Moroello there are two that have been identified specifically. The ghost of Pietro Zanardi Landi, who was murdered via feud and Giuseppe the cook who consequently was murdered by the butler for having an affair with his wife. You can read specific reports of activity connected with the Castillo de Bardi ghosts in the chapter.

Closing thoughts:

There are many things that these places have in common. Places built during times of war, sickness, violence, bloodshed, betrayal, and political strife that was dealt with in ways today’s common person cannot fathom. This said they also have amazing architecture, beautiful surroundings, majestic views and artistry that is unlike most man-made structures in the world in common as well. Built in times that prefabricated housing was not even something that was in the minds of the living (let’s face it…not a bad thing).

I just love looking at them. While I understand that their history may not be the prettiest that does not mean that the castles themselves are not breathtaking. I’m fascinated by the interiors and how they were organized. The dungeons have a certain draw for me because the concept of their function is so foreign in today’s modern world. This is why I have provided so many different pictures and links for all of these places. I hope that you think they are as cool as I did when I read this book.

Happy Devouring!

The Sexton