Bolsover Castle...

Images from our recent-ish visit to Bolsover Castle, Bolsover, Derbyshire, England.

(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint and Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels).

You can find out more about Bolsover Castle by clicking Here.

Phil and Karen


1. Bolsover Castle sits on a ridge high above the Vale of Scarsdale. Originally the site of a 12th-century medieval fortress, it was subsequently developed into a 17th-century aristocratic retreat.



2. The original castle was founded in the late 11th-century by William Peveril, one of William the Conqueror's knights. The ‘Little Castle’, designed to evoke a Norman great tower and keep, sits on the ruins of the old fortress.



3. The present castle, built between 1612-1617 by Charles Cavendish, was inherited by his son William – playboy, poet courtier and later 1st Duke of Newcastle - who also added the vast and stately Terrace Range overlooking the Vale of Scarsdale (this is now a dramatic roofless shell).



4. During the English Civil War William fought for the Royalists, but he was defeated at the Battle of Marston Moor in 1644 and went into exile. Bolsover castle was taken by the Parliamentarians, who slighted it. On his return to England in 1660, William began work to restore and enhance it.



5. William built the cavernous Riding House Range with its magnificent roof and viewing galleries, one of the earliest in England to survive complete - and a landmark in British equestrianism. Here William indulged his passion for training great horses in stately dressage.



6. After 1883, the castle was uninhabited, and in 1945 it was given to the nation by the William Cavendish-Bentinck, 7th Duke of Portland. Since 1984 Bolsover Castle has been in the care of English Heritage and in 2017 staff voted it voted ‘the most haunted site’ in their care...



(Sources: English Heritage, Wikipedia).

Beautifully captured as always Phil & Karen. I think you guys should create a photographic guide to the UK's stately homes and castles, there can't be many now that you haven't visited!

Tim Mayo said:

Beautifully captured as always Phil & Karen. I think you guys should create a photographic guide to the UK's stately homes and castles, there can't be many now that you haven't visited!

Click to expand...

Hi Tim,

Cheers - much appreciated!

Bolsover had been on our hit list for some time and was absolutely fascinating - a very rich environment for photography.

We still have a rather long list of places we'd like to see, with some recently visited and others lined up for later this year.


My understanding is once you move from personal to commercial use additional permissions are needed (and costs apply).

(We do it for the buzz... ).

Phil