During our holiday on the Isle of Man, we visited Castle Rushen, which is one of the best preserved medieval castles in Europe. It was built in the late 13th century and was once home to the Kings and Lords of Mann. As well as being a royal residence, the castle has also been used as a fortress, a mint and a prison.
I love visiting castles, although one of the things I definitely don’t like about them are the narrow spiral staircases, and with two small children in tow these are even more of a challenge. Castle Rushen has a lot of spiral staircases to take you up to the top of the castle! Thankfully Jessica managed to climb up them quite well by herself and with Sophie in the carrier it was fairly doable, although there were one or two moments where I ended up carrying both children. On the plus side, it was good exercise but my thigh muscles were very achy the next day!
We climbed to the top of the castle and admired the view across Castletown and the Manx countryside.
Once inside the main part of the castle, it was a relief to know that there were no more spiral staircases to negotiate – just nice wide straight ones! Various historical scenes were shown in the different rooms of the castle – the lords dining in the medieval banqueting hall (and later on a similar scene but set in the 17th century), the medieval kitchen and James Stanley, Lord of Mann, in the Presence Chamber.
One of the things I found particularly interesting about our trip to Castle Rushen was the History in Heels exhibition, which is taking place across various Isle of Man locations and tells the story of various women throughout the history of the Isle of Man. Reading about the women whose stories were part of the history of the castle was fascinating – from the heartbreaking account of the woman who was transported for stealing just a few yards of ribbons and who drowned en route to Australia, to the story of the Countess Charlotte Stanley who held the castle while her husband was away fighting in the English Civil War, until a mutiny within her own garrison forced her to surrender to the Parliamentarians. As much as I love exploring old castles, they never really come alive for me until I can connect them with stories about real people.
The gardens around the castle were quite pretty and the girls enjoyed running around the castle grounds, and seeing the cannons.
Castle Rushen is open daily from late March until the beginning of November. Admission costs £6 for adults and £3 for children (under 5s are free).
I love old castles, but like you, I like stories of the people who lived there too. Looks like you had a beautiful day for your visit and the History in Heels exhibition sounds interesting x #countrykids
Thanks Sara – the stories really help make it come alive, don’t they? 🙂
I’m a sucker for castles – especially one so old. Love the bits of history you’ve detailed. Looks like a fabulous place to explore #countrykids
Thanks Elizabeth – we enjoyed exploring it 🙂
Looks like a fun place to visit and explore. I know what you mean about wanting the history of real people to connect you to a place.
Thank you Keitha – those stories do help a place come alive, don’t they? 🙂
I have to confess to being a castle fan too, those spiral stairs look worth the climb for a wonderful view. As you say it is the real life love and tragedy that brings these places to life, thank you for a little insight into the struggles at this grand castle and for sharing some beautiful photos again on Country Kids.
Thank you Fiona, always lovely to link up 🙂
I love a good castle too and this one looks fantastic – having the stories really brings it to life. #countrykids
Thanks Cathy, it was such an interesting place to visit 🙂
What a great castle. I love castles, but haven’t had an opportunity to make my kids to see many castles. They are so interesting, especially with the stories too. x
Thanks Karen – it was really interesting to find out more about the history of the castle 🙂
Just my sort of place to visit, have pinned it in case we ever get to the Isle of Man #CountryKids
We enjoyed our trip to the Isle of Man, would definitely recommend it if you get a chance to go 🙂
It looks like you had a fab day out….A great castle x
Thank you Kim, we enjoyed our day out 🙂
My parents-in-law live in Castletown so we’ve taken our boys to Castle Rushen several times. I quite like it, but is a dark and forbidding kind of place, isn’t it? I like my castles to be romantic ruins! #CountryKids
I know what you mean – it is interesting to see a castle that’s so well preserved but there is something about romantic ruins too!
I love places where there’s an educational factor. This looks a great place to visit.
I do too – I find it so interesting to learn more about them.
I know exactly what you mean about spiral staircases – thus make my legs wobble when I’m on my own! I love history so visiting somewhere that is so well preserved like this is right up my street. It looks like you had a great day x #countrykids
Thanks Claire – it was so interesting learning about the history connected with the castle.
We love visiting castles and this looks like a fab one. Lots of lovely photos too x
Thank you 🙂
Looks a great day out and lovely weather 🙂 I also don’t like spiral staircases and always wonder about falling down them! Hat off to you for doing it holding two children 🙂 xx #counrykids
Thank you – not sure how I managed the staircases but it was reassuring having hubby just behind me! 🙂
Like you, I’m not a fan of the spiral staircases but the view looks as though it was well worth it. I do love a castle, although I don’t tend to go up to the top if we ever visit them these days as I find I get a bit funny with the height! Looks like a lovely day out.
I definitely get a bit nervous at the top but it is lovely to get the view 🙂