Tonbridge Castle

From the left; The motte, the hill, was built 22 years after the last successful invasion of England (that's 1066 for those not familiar with English history). The gatehouse took 30 years to build and was finished in 1260 and the house was added in the 1790s. There's been a fair bit of history on and around this spot including William Rufus torching the castle and town after a rebellion, Henry III taking the castle following another rebellion, in the 1740s stone from the castle was used to build locks and bridges on the newly-canalised river Medway and - perhaps the final indignity - the council bought the castle in the early 20th C. But it's still here and looking scrummy in the winter sun