Pendennis Castle, Cornwall: a 16th-century Henrician Castle. Castles differed from earlier fortifications in that they were generally private fortified residences. Typically, a castle was the residence of a feudal lord, providing the owner with a secure base from which to control his lands, [12] and also a symbol of wealth and power.

Nevertheless, in the widespread civil and religious conflicts across the British Isles during the 1640s and 1650s, castles played a key role in England. Modern defences were quickly built alongside existing medieval fortifications and, in many …

You'll find English castles everywhere from Northumberland to Cornwall, and ranging in date from Norman to Tudor and from little Stokesay Castle to mighty fortresses like Kenilworth and Dover Castles.

In the late 16th century the castle was inherited by Sir Patrick Maxwell, who remodelled the building constructing a three storey Renaissance mansion. A powerful friend of King James VI of Scotland, Sir Patrick was notorious for murdering two members of a rival family and beating his wife of 44 years, mother of his 16 children.

By the beginning of the 16th century, manor-houses as well as small castles began to acquire the character and amenities of the residences of country gentlemen.

John Leland’s 16th-century accounts of English castles are replete with descriptions of castles being “sore decayed”, their defences “in ruine” or, where the walls might still be in good repair, the “logginges within” were “decayed”.

Below are the main rooms found in medieval castles and large manor houses. A great hall is the main room of a royal palace, nobleman's castle or a large manor house in the Middle Ages, and in the country houses of the 16th and early 17th centuries.

From Tudor timber-framed houses to the symmetrical elegance of early Renaissance-inspired designs, every building tells a story of ambition and adaptation. In this article, we’ll explore the defining elements of 16th-century English architecture, its global influences, and the craftsmanship that still captivates us today.

Castles by century of completion; 16th-century buildings; 16th-century fortifications

Sherborne Castle (sometimes called Sherborne New Castle) is a 16th-century Tudor mansion southeast of Sherborne in Dorset, England, within the parish of Castleton.