Warwick Castle

Probably one of the most famous castle in the UK, Warwick Castle has been on my 'to visit' list for quite some time. Since watching he BBC One history drama 'The White Queen' (base on a Phillipa Gregory novel) a few months ago, I am even more fascinated by its rich history and managed to cajole the other half to spend a short weekend there. 

It takes 3 hour to get there by car so we decided to travel the night before and stayed at an Old English Inns (https://www.oldenglishinns.co.uk/), suited just outside Stratford-Upon-Avon. At first I was dubious of the standard as this is just another hotel chain (owned by Greene King Brewery), but to my surprise, it was tastefully decorated, comfortable room/bed and they served up a great English breakfast! We really could not fault a thing.

Tips: We purposely left our booking till rather last minute to see if we could get a better price.  Of course there is an element of risk if the choice of accommodation is limited in the area you're planning to stay. For us there were plenty of options and well worth the risk as the price was dropped by half!

It was raining like cats and dogs all day but luckily by the time we got to Stratford-Upon-Avon it finally stopped. After much contemplation we have decided to take a stroll to Stratford town instead of having pub grubs at the B&B. Most importantly it would be rude not to pay a visit to Shakespeare's hometown! Like most small English towns, Sunday is usually a day of rest and since we didn't get there till 6 p.m., all the shops were shut. Nonetheless, it has a good vibe and projects a classic Tudor charm, would love to see it in daylight, when it is full of live. We strolled around town and found all the nice eateries (and open on Sunday evening!) are on Sheep Street, not far from the River Avon. By nearly 8 p.m. we've finally agreed to dine at Lambs on Sheep Street (http://www.lambsrestaurant.co.uk/) - I thought it was rather fitting! 

The building itself dates back to 16th Century, with original wood work proudly displayed amongst the modern decor. Along with the dim lighting, this establishment projects a chic but warm ambiance.    

We both went for the set menu in the end and both had the Deep-fried Plaice Goujons with watercress & tartare sauce as starter. I love plaice, the battered was light enough and the tartare sauce was creamy with a subtle sharpness from the capers and gherkins. I would say it is one of the best tartare sauce I have tasted! Must try to recreate it at some point.

As for main course, I opted for the Smoked Haddock Fishcake with poached egg, wilted spinach, wholegrain mustard sauce. The fishcake was packed with smoked haddock, unlike some who tries to bulk it up with a silly amount of potatoes; poached egg has a perfectly runny yoke but under season; the sauce compliment the dish very nicely, as sometimes wholegrain mustard can be a little overpowering.

The overall experience was good and would probably visit again if we visit Stratford in the future. 

After a lovely night rest and a filling English Breakfast, we drove to Warwick Castle which was only 20 minutes away. We visited The Castle Dungeon first.

Opened in 2009, an alleged truly horrific dungeon that made 15 visitors faint in the first month of its opening. Apparently it has since toned down to accommodate thrill-seekers who may not have the most robust nerves. The whole tour took about 50 minutes and there were a couple of occasions where I got spooked, but the overall experience was only so-so. We would love to  have experienced the original setting if we could. This is a dungeon that suppose to recreate the medieval torture scenes and witchcraft, so we expected it to be brutal and bloody, but instead we felt it was trying too hard to cater for family-of-all-ages instead.

It took us about another 2 and a half hour to finish going round the castle, listened to talk on battlefield weapons etc The best bit was the Chapel, Great Hall and State Rooms. 

Wax figures to demonstrate visitors what the fair maidens' life were like in preparation for war.

Earl of Warwick's armor and weapons collection exhibited in the Great Hall.

A close-up of this exquisite table/ cabinet that was exhibited in The Great Exhibition at Crystal Palace in the 19th Century. The craftsmanship was exceptional. 

Castle view from the Caesar's Tower.

'Britain's Ultimate Castle' is Merlin Entertainments' tag line for Warwick Castle and it would have been perhaps the ultimate castle if it is not being made into half theme park half stately home. I love visiting all the grand stately home, palaces and castles across the country because of the rich history, grand architect, and elaborate artifacts. This theme park-historic houses crossover really did not floats my boat, as I came away didn't particularly learn anything new about this great castle; and did not experienced the full theme park treatment either. Perhaps it is a great place to inspire children to learn about history and good day out for the family a as a while, but for historic houses fanatic like myself, this was a disappointment. The 8th Earl of Warwick sold his ancestral castle to the Tussauds Group in the 70s and caused an uproar. One cannot denied the restoration work both Tussauds Group and Merlin Entertainments have carried out has indeed saved the castle from being ruined,  but what they were not able to restored was the glory of an ancient English castle.