Nottingham Castle History #notts

Summary

Nottingham Castle has a rich history, and its tales are waiting to be discovered by those who venture into its depths. The Caves of Nottingham Castle offer a glimpse into the past, and the journey is one you will not forget.

A tour of the caves under Nottingham Castle #notts explore history of castle

Welcome to the Caves of Nottingham Castle, a place of historical significance and fascinating tales. As you venture through these caverns, you will come across different aspects of the castle’s rich past. Let us start with a journey through time, back to the medieval era, to explore Rhonda Lowe’s Tower, the base of a tower that was part of the castle.

Here, King David’s Dungeon awaits, where King David II of Scotland was captured and imprisoned in the 1300s. The walls of the dungeon still bear the marks of metal rings hammered into them, where prisoners in chains and manacles were attached. The conditions were harsh, and the place was dark, damp and miserable, with nothing but straw on the floor and bread and water brought in by the jailer.

The dungeon’s name harks back to King David II of Scotland, who was held here for some time after being captured during the battle of Neville’s Cross in the 14th century. The dungeon has been used for many things over the centuries, including storing gunpowder and muskets during the civil war.

Nottingham Castle was once one of the grandest stone castles in the country, but its fortunes turned for the worse in the year 1500 when Richard III left on his way to Bosworth Field. A few centuries later, the castle was in ruins and played an important role in the English Civil War. Charles I raised his standard here, but his hopes were dashed when the flag fell within a few hours. Colonel John Hutchinson and his wife Lucy held the castle throughout the war, fortifying and rebuilding sections of it.

After the war ended, Nottingham Castle was a blank canvas, waiting for a new building. William Cavendish, who had fought for his king in the royalist army, built a ducal palace on the site. The tunnel that visitors can explore was once used to transport provisions into the castle. The Normans could come from the sea, travel down the Trent, and reach Nottingham. They diverted to a smaller river called the River Lean and carved out a tunnel, which can still be seen today.

As you walk through the tunnel, you can imagine what it would have been like for the Normans to travel with their cargo to reach the castle. They would have had to pass by County Hall, and the River Trent, before diverting to the River Lean. Eventually, they would have reached the castle, climbing up the spiral staircase, and entering through a tower.