Romantic Ruins Gallery

Herstmonceux Castle CC000352

Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex. The ivy-clad entrance gatehouse. Herstmonceux Castle was built of brick circa 1445 by Sir Roger Fiennes. It was largely dismantled in 1777 and remained an ivy-clad ruin until the early 20th century when a major restoration programme was carried out. It housed the Royal Observatory for a time in the late 20th century. Photographed in the 1920s by Nathaniel Lloyd

© Historic England

Hay cart and Kenilworth Castle BB81_02414

KENILWORTH CASTLE, Warwickshire. A Victorian hay cart at rest in front of the ivy-clad remains of Kenilworth Castle. A view resonant of Turner paintings. From the collection of Bernard Howarth-Loomes, collector of stereoscopic and other rare Victorian photography

© Historic England

Fortification, Horse, Medieval, Ruin, Rural, Victorian

Roman Theatre Verulamium EAW011295

VERULAMIUM, St Albans, Hertfordshire. This Roman Theatre is unique in Britain - the only known example of a theatre with a stage rather than an Amphitheatre. Started in about 140AD it was gradually extended until by about 300 AD/CE it could seat 2000 spectators. Associated with a temple, the arena would primarily have been used for religious processions and dancing, as well as staging plays, wrestling, armed combat and wild beast shows. By the 4th century the theatre went out of use and filled up with rubbish (which makes excellent material for archaeologists!). Although much of the masonry was robbed out in later centuries, the remaining ruins and earth banks (discovered in 1847 and fully excavated between 1930 and 1935) still give a good impression of how it may have looked. Aerofilms Collection (see Links)

© Historic England