The quintessential romantic castle, Carisbrooke is located in Newport on the Isle of Wight.
Carisbrooke has been a central place of power and defence on the Isle of Wight for over 1,000 years.
During that time, it has been a Saxon fortress and a castle of the Norman conquest, much remodelled during the Middle Ages and under Elizabeth I. Most famously, Charles I was held prisoner here during the Civil War, shortly before his execution.
Since then Carisbrooke Castle has remained a symbolic centre for the island, not least as the residence of its governor. At Carisbrooke Castle you can visit a fascinating museum, see the castle's Edwardian garden, meet the lovable donkeys and see them work, experience far reaching panoramic views from high castle walls and place yourself at the very heart of the Isle of Wight's History. There are many other enjoyable things that you can see and do there such as the Norman keep and wall walk where you can climb the steep steps up the massive castle mound to take in the unrivalled birds-eye views from the ancient castle keep, you can visit the heavenly princess Beatrice garden, this pretty Edwardian style garden is based on the original garden retreat of Queen Victoria's daughter. The plants were chosen to echo Princess Beatrice's blue, red and gold heraldic crest. You can explore the beauty and tranquillity of the Saint Nicholas’ chapel and finally, you can visit the exhibition and castle museum to review all of the interesting history behind the magnificent castle. Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of King Charles was also imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle, and she died there only weeks after her arrival.