You know nothing lasts forever right? Yes, yes I know it may seem like things are going to last however history tells us, in no uncertain terms, that's simply not the case. Remember the dinosaurs, Roman Empire, The Black Plague, World War One, strong superannuation returns, the Mayan civilisation, Mongol Empire and the British Empire for instance? They all have something in common; They ended despite many believing they may not.
The people who lived in this ruined castle probably thought their structure of stone and mortar would survive the passage of time as well however, quite obviously, it did not. I'm sure at some stage they looked down from the battlements feeling confident and secure living out their lives with the expectation that the carefully laid foundation of their castle would remain intact around them. But, alas, like all things it didn't outlast time.
Wardour Castle was constructed in the late 1300's and is located in the County of Wiltshire, England. It's interesting that it's built in the hexagonal shape (6 sided) favoured in parts of Europe however remains the only one of its kind in the UK. Owned by the Lovell's until they fell into disfavour during the War of the Roses (1455-1487) it ended up in the ownership or Sir Thomas Arundell in 1544, after passing through a number of different owners. Unfortunately the fact that the Arundell's were an ancient and very prominent Cornish family didn't save Sir Thomas from execution for committing treason in 1552. The castle was confiscated and its ownership passed from the Arundell's.
Twelve years later in 1570 the Arundell's reacquired the castle when Sir Matthew, son of Sir Thomas, bought it back. At that stage I'm sure the Arundell's were feeling mighty-pleased with themselves however as I said, nothing lasts forever.
The year 1643, 73 years after Sir Matthew bought back the castle was an interesting one for the family. The 2nd Baron Arundell of Wardour (Thomas Arundell) was away serving the King leaving his 61 year old wife, Lady Blanche Arundell, in charge of the castle's defence along with 25 men-at-arms. The 2nd Baron was a staunch Royalist you see and considering the English Civil War (1642-1651) was being conducted between the Parliamentarians and Royalists it was not considered safe to leave the castle undefended.
So, along comes Sir Edward Hungerford with his 1300 parliamentarian forces asking for admission to search for Royalists. Naturally brave Blanche refused and a siege was laid. Sir Edward set to with guns and mines and the 25 defenders...Well, they defended.
Five days, and a lot of pummelling by the Parliamentarian's guns, later Lady Arundell was asked to surrender with the threat of the total destruction of the castle being the motivation. She did and was afforded the courtesy of leaving in safety. War was conducted differently back then. Meanwhile the 2nd Baron of Wardour was busy dying of wounds sustained in the Battle of Stratton and so it was left to his son, the 3rd Baron Arundell of Wardour, to regain the families' castle.
In March 1644 Henry, 3rd Lord Arundell laid siege to the castle and its Parliamentarian defenders and deployed a cunning plan. He set a massive mine beneath the castle walls then send a little message to the garrison advising them it was set and should they not surrender it would be blown up and they would all die. Seems a pretty compelling reason to surrender. He gave them some time to consider however a little later...
The mine was exploded prematurely, (Remember, this was the 3rd Lord's own castle he blew up by accident), and the two sides joined in battle. In the end the Parliamentarian forces surrendered and at last the 3rd Lord Arundell had his castle back; Albeit it a little (a lot) worse for wear.
Here you can see the hexagonal shape in the photo on the left looking down from one of the upper floors and to the right the view from the battlements with New Wardour Castle in the very distance up the hill. (You won't be able to see it in the image though)
The castle was extensively damaged and therefore abandoned. Standing there today one can see the original hexagonal castle and the the broken walls from the sections that were destroyed in the premature-explosion.
The Arundell's were castle-less until the 8th Baron, Henry Arundell, raised enough funds to build New Wardour castle. One can actually see the new castle across the water in the distance when standing at the top of the old castle.
And so, as with all things, the Arundell's Wardour Castle came to an end despite all their attempts to keep it intact and in the family. Some 254 years after the initial construction of the castle, and after countless lives were played out in and around it, the castle simply ended its existence...Abruptly, with that premature explosion on March 1644.
Some of the stone was repurposed around the New Wardour Castle and other buildings and the remaining walls were simply left; Floor beams and joists were left to rot and fall in and the castle, once a hive of activity, became what we see today; Ruins.
Old Wardour Castle is open to the public these days and was a very interesting place to visit. I found it peaceful, if a little sad, and whilst walking around with my audio-guide could imagine life in and around the castle. Of course it was a place of violence and death, but I didn't get a sense of that; Just the sense of sadness and the feeling of shattered hopes and dreams. It didn't feel dark and foreboding like some of the other places I visited but I felt sad for those who invested their lives in the castle and intertwined their fates with it. I felt sad for the castle too, it deserved a better fate.
None of us can cheat time and all things come to an end eventually. We can sit around and wait, attempt to lay siege to it, to break it and make it our own however in time, time always wins. The other option is to move with time, to make the most of it, to live with it and intertwine our fates with it creating our lives along with its passing. That sounds like a better option to me, certainly better than letting time escape, because it doesn't come back around.