HEALTH AND SAFETY IN WARWICK CASTLE UK

Health and Safety In Warwick Castle UK

Health and Safety In Warwick Castle UK

Warwick Castle is a medieval castle in Warwick, the county town of Warwickshire, England. It sits on a bend on the River Avon. The castle was built by William the Conqueror in 1068 within or adjacent to the Anglo-Saxon burh of Warwick. It was used as a fortification until the early 17th century, when Sir Fulke Greville converted it to a country house. It was owned by the Greville family, who became earls of Warwick in 1759, until 1978.

From 1088, the castle traditionally belonged to the Earl of Warwick, and it served as a symbol of his power. The castle was taken in 1153 by Henry of Anjou, later Henry II. It has been used to hold prisoners, including some from the Battle of Poitiers in the 14th century. Under the ownership of Richard Neville - also known as "Warwick the Kingmaker" - Warwick Castle was used in the 15th century to imprison the English king, Edward IV.

Warwick Castle is protected against unauthorised change as a Scheduled Ancient Monument,[1] in recognition of its status as a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building.[46] The castle is a Grade I listed building; it is listed with the castle's boundary walls, stables, conservatory, mill and lodge.[2] In 1978 Warwick Castle became a member of the Treasure Houses of England, a heritage consortium founded by ten of the foremost privately owned stately homes in England with the aim of marketing and promoting themselves as tourist venues. In 1978, Warwick Castle was sold to Tussauds, a large visitor attraction operator.[1] Tussauds performed extensive restorations to the castle and grounds in addition to opening its gates to the public. In 2001, Warwick Castle was named one of Britain's "Top 10 historic houses and monuments" by the British Tourist Authority; the list included Tower of London, Stonehenge, and Edinburgh Castle.[47] Warwick Castle was recognised as Britain's best castle by the Good Britain Guide 2003.[48]

In June 2005, Warwick Castle became home to one of the world's largest working siege engines. The trebuchet is 18 metres (59 ft) tall, made from over 300 pieces of oak and weighs 22 metric tons (24 short tons).[49] The machine, which was made in Wiltshire, takes eight men half an hour to load and release.[50] It is designed to be capable of hurling projectiles distances of up to 300 metres (980 ft) and as high as 25 metres (82 ft) and can throw up to 150 kilograms (330 lb) of ammunition at a time.[50] On 21 August 2006, the trebuchet claimed the record as the most powerful catapult in the world when it sent a projectile weighing 13 kilograms (29 lb) a distance of 249 metres (817 ft) at a speed of 260 kilometres per hour (160 mph), beating the previous record of 228 metres (748 ft) held by the Dutch.[49] The war machine is situated on the banks of the River Avon which runs below the castle.

During a break-in on 23 June 2006, a £20,000 stained glass window was damaged and a ceremonial ...