Carisbrooke Castle

Carisbrooke Castle is a historic motte-and-bailey castle located near Newport, Isle of Wight. It is infamous for Charles I who was imprisoned and tried to escape from the castle in 1648 but was unable to get through the bars of his window. The site of the Castle may have been occupied in pre-Roman times and became an Anglo-Saxon stronghold during the 8th century. A wall was built around the hill as a defence against Viking raids. Visitors can climb the 71 steps up to the keep for the view. The main rooms were used as the official residence of the Governor of the Isle of Wight until the 1940s.