English Heritage: Farnham Castle Keep

As far as English Heritage castles go, Farnham castle is relatively small, (although this should be expected as it is actually only a keep and not really a castle). However what is there is extremely well presented with lots of visual and aural aids.
You enter the site through a small corridor which has visual time board displays of the history of the keep and under a picture of the castle a button to start a sound recording detailing the Keeps history throughout the ages.
Unfortunately this was another one of the many English fortifications that suffered at the hands of Cromwell at the end of the civil war, which resulted in the removal of all of its towers and main defensive positions. As a result it looks nothing like it would have done in its glory days, however the visaul aids provide a great insight into how the castle would have looked.
First built in 1138 by Henri de Blois, grandson of William the Conqueror, Bishop of Winchester, the castle was to become the home of the Bishops of Winchester for over 800 years. The original building was demolished by Henry II in 1155 after the Anarchy and then rebuilt in the late 12^th and early 13^th centuries. The castle was slighted again after the Civil War in 1648. Since then more buildings have been constructed in the castle’s grounds, the most impressive being those built by Bishop George Morley in the 17^th century.
The castle is free to enter with free parking and although there is no shop or anywhere to purchase refreshments, they have at least seen to providing a very clean WC.