The Kingmaker

It is arguably the coolest nickname of any Englishman; the Kingmaker. And, yes, did he make Kings. Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick helped remove and put back Henry VI on the throne of England. But, far more famously, he put Edward, son of the Duke of York on the throne as Edward IV.

It all fell within what we now call the War of the Roses. These finally ended with the death of Richard III, and the coronation of Henry VII as the first of the overrated Tudor Monarchs.

However, the Kingmaker did not get to see this. After removing Edward IV and replacing him with Henry VI again, he was killed when Edward retook the throne after the battle of Barnet.

His power was based around his wealth and his lands. Central to this was his home, Warwick Castle.

I had never been to Warwick Castle until last week.

As you can see, it is still in a very impressive state. It has had a fortunate existence. Richard son in law was the Duke of Clarence (Brother to king Edward), once Edward had killed his brother the castle fell into the possession of the crown and carried on from the Plantagenets to the Tudor monarchs. It passed it various hands until the last 1970's when the Greville family after 374 years of ownership sold the castle to the Tussaud entertainment group for £1.3m. This is the place I now visit.

It has been renovated and it now belongs to Merlin Entertainments. They own Alton Towers and many other theme parks and that's what Warwick Castle has, to a certain extent become, a mini castle theme park. The worst aspect of this theme park feeling is the 'Dungeon Experience'

The Impressive Gatehouse

It really can only be described as 50 minutes of my life that I will not get back! The people who run the castle are really keen on squeezing the cash out of visitors. The dungeon is an extra charge, on top of the usual entrance fee. The dungeon is a combination of wandering around the darkened rooms in the castle and you are met by live actors. Each room is filled with someone for a specific reason. You are greeted by a 'dark' jester - you can probably see the way this is going -

He then takes you into the first room which is called the dark chapel. Inside is a 'dark' priest, probably called Nigel. Who then in a scary time of voice gives a story about the plague.

Then on into the plague doctor who then begins the interactive part of the tour. It gets interactive. It's really as far from my cup of tea

as possible. We pay visits to a torturer, a medieval judge and a witch of Warwick, now the witch blackens the room and then appears close to your face. This is the whole purpose it seems. It's not in any way informative; it's just a scam. A fundraiser, a way of making more money. Like I said, I'll never get those 50mins back. 

The other exhibitions are okay. The kingmakers exhibition shows you the preparation prior to the battle of Barnet. Quick fact, did you know what a whitesmith works on? Yes, cold metal. It's quite a few rooms of mannequins and artifacts. There is, as its Warwick castle, a girl dressed in medieval clothing asking if you'd like your photo to be taken dressed up. You see the theme here? Monetisation of Almost everything within the castle walls has a cost. They have a couple of permanent shops with the usual stuff, though in comparison with National Trust or English Heritage it's a poor selection and quality. They also have little 'pop' up shops, wooden cabin shops dotted all over the site so you can't walk too far without having an opportunity to purchase something.

Though, with all this being said it is an interesting place. It is not somewhere, personally, if I had the choice, ever feel the need to revisit. It's impressive but it's a little hollow. If you take away the jousting, the dungeon, the birds of prey and the commercialism then you are left with a castle wall and tower walk, and a few state rooms of interest. Personally, I could drive 15 minutes up the road to Kenilworth castle. Kenilworth has more and is better presented. Warwick has size but tries to be a mini-disney. I would hate to put people off. But your entrance fee would be better spent on Kenilworth.