Bavaria in Staffordshire

This view could be one taken in Bavaria, or even the Czech Republic - but no, this is good old Staffordshire. I like taking visitors along the now-disused Alton railway line, and when I say "hey - look up at that!", they look up and - as they see this sight - their eyes widen...

Alton Castle - a neo-Gothic romance built in the 19th century - is owned by the Catholic Church, and is now private offices, so you can't go into it, though you can get close to it from the driveway in Alton village.

Quite a view, this one, aint it?

It's fake, but I like it

The county doesn't have a lot of castles, and one or two have been over-restored, so we don't have a great list of them. All are ruins of course.

So people do get excited about Stafford Castle, one of Stafford town's outstanding landmarks - without realising it's a complete fake. 
Yes, there have been fortifications on the site down the years, including a Norman castle, but the one there today is what is left of a clever attempt in the nineteenth century to build a grand home in medieval style.  In its own turn, it too is now in ruins.

Strangely enough, I don't much mind that it's 'fake'.  To me, it's still an evocative place.

The whole site is open, so you can walk the dog there at all times, but the interior is only open over the summer.
The best time to be had there though is in July, when they stage outdoor Shakespeare plays.

This post appeared on the My Town Shoot-Out Photo-Blog

Castle - going down!

Heights are not my strong point, so even taking this photo, looking down into a courtyard in Tamworth Castle, was slightly brave. 
Well I think so.

Golden roof

Green and gold tiles line the roof of Alton Castle, a nineteenth-century Gothic-style building (designed by the architect Pugin) in Alton village.
The colours give it a sort of romantic grandeur I think.

A folly on the heights

Mow Cop 'Castle' as it's known, is, of course, a deliberate ruin.  It was built to look like this, in a piece of eccentricity, by the local landowner in the mid eighteenth century.

The structure is placed right at the top of Mow Cop bluff and has views for miles for all around.  It's quite a landmark.

In this picture I seem to have accidentally photographed (just to the right of the archway) some flying insect.  Or could it be a bullet?  Hmm.

Expensive - or cheap? - holiday

The most expensive holiday home in Staffordshire is probably Caverswall Castle, which will cost you £5,000 for the weekend. 
However, paradoxically, it's also among the best value lets - you'd get accommodation for over 30 adults & children for that, so it works out better if you think of it per-person!
The Moat House (annexe) is even cheaper at £1000 for seven people for the weekend.

The bizarre thing is that it is quite tucked-away. This moated entrance is squeezed down a small lane between Caverswall village's two churches, and the castle and its grounds are almost totally hidden from view.

The 'castle' is actually a 17th century rebuild, though the original medieval walls are still extant.

Inaccessible castle

We are not known for authentically old castles in Staffordshire (though Tutbury has some special ruins).  Which is why it's a shame that the ruins of the imposing thirteenth-century Chartley Castle are not accessible to the public.
I had to take this photo on a zoom lens to avoid trespassing.

The castle is most famous for being one of the prisons of Mary Queen of Scots.

Tamworth Castle flies flag

Tamworth Castle flies the fleur-de-lys flag (as here), as well as a number of other flags, including the Cross of St Alban's - the flag of the Saxon king Offa, who ruled this part of the world - and the checked flag of the Marmion family, which held Tamworth and surroundings after the Conquest.
Not sure what the fleur-de-lys represents here in its Tamworth instance. I will find out.

The sun emerged rather unsteadily today. Is the run of rainy days over?