The rebellious queen, wife of Edward II of England, was banished to Castle Rising, living out her widowhood in a lavish existence of hunting parties and feasting in the grand hall.
It may well be, but those with local knowledge aside, no one I know has ever heard of it – unless they have a fascination with the treacherous Isabella, “She-wolf of France” (1295-1358). Now, checking the English Heritage website, I see this “secret” place is described as “one of the most famous 12th-century castles in England”. Castle Rising was our discovery, a special place we had stumbled upon after taking a wrong turning. They all obliged, or gave a good impression of doing so. We dragged friends there, children and grown-ups alike, willing them to feel as bewitched as we did. These Norfolk holidays spanned the years from their childhood to beyond university age. At the insistence of my two daughters, we visited Castle Rising at least twice each season. Photograph: Anthony Jolley/Alamyįor several summers I rented a holiday house further up the coast. The lost village of Babingley nearby – taking its name from the river that meanders through the marshes between castle and sea – heightens this mood of isolation. On the edge of the Fens, close to the Wash, the castle sits in the mysterious flatlands of north-west Norfolk. (Rising apparently comes from Hrsing, meaning “dwellers at the brushwood place” poetic but none too helpful.) The attraction of the magnificent 12th-century keep, earthworks and associated buildings was its sense of remoteness, of a place forgotten.
It wasn’t just the name that held such charm. Once you say it, there’s no obvious place to stop: “Castle-Rising-castle-rising … castle … rising … castle.” This chant would come, without fail, from the back of the car as we headed past fields of lavender, between high hedgerows, down narrow lanes leading to nowhere except, yes, Castle Rising: the tiny village with almshouses, ancient cottages and abundant gardens the handsome church, its ornate west front heavily restored but still a thing of Norman glory and, dominating the low landscape, the castle itself.
0 kommentar(er)
