Listen to Dr John Goodall on the Country Life podcast as he names his five favourite castles in Britain — and then adds a bonus castle with 1,000 years of extraordinary history.
Britain’s landscape is dotted with quite incredible castles, from towering and imposing masterpieces to crumbling, romantic ruins. In this week’s podcast, we speak to Country Life magazine’s Architectural Editor, John Goodall — the man who literally wrote the book on castles — to find out which five are his very favourites.
John picks out five wonderful castles which show the full range of Britain’s architectural legacy: Headingham, Knaresborough, Lancaster, Belvoir (pronounced ‘Beaver’) and Castle Drogo. And then he throws in a very special extra bonus castle at the end — arguably the greatest castle on the face of the planet, whose fate has been intertwined with that of the Royal Family for 1,000 years.
You can listen to it at all the most popular places to get your podcasts, including:
- Country Life podcast on Apple Podcasts
- Country Life podcast on Spotify
- Country Life podcast on Google Podcasts
- Country Life podcast on Audible
Alternatively you can listen to the episode directly in your browser:
The Country Life podcast is hosted by James Fisher; it’s produced and edited by Toby Keel; the music is by JuliusH; and special thanks to Future’s Head of Podcasts, Adam Wilbourn.
Castle Hedingham, Essex. Photo: Alamy
Knaresborough Castle, Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. Photo: Alamy
Lancaster Castle, Lancashire. Photo: Alamy
Belvoir Castle, Lincolnshire. ©Country Life/Paul Highnam
Castle Drogo, Devon. Photo ©Dylan Thomas for Country Life
The Royal Standard flag flying from the Round Tower or keep at Windsor Castle. Photo: Alamy
