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 Welcome
to Castle Rushen - probably the finest medieval castle in the British
Isles - situated at the centre of Mann's historic capital, Castletown.
This is one of Europe's most finely preserved medieval castles and
its origins can be found in the Norse period when Norse Kings fortified
a strategic site guarding the entrance to the Silverburn River.
The Castle was developed by successive rulers of Mann between the
13th and 16th centuries, and its towering limestone walls would
have been visible over much of southern Mann - a continual reminder
to the local population of the dominance of the Kings and Lords
of Mann.
The history of Castle
Rushen is long and chequered. As the seat of the Kings and Lords
of Mann, it embodies the often turbulent position of the Isle of
Man in the medieval period as a strategic possession on the western
seaboard of Britain.
Through the following
pages through which we hope to stir your imagination and whet your
appetite in a tour through history from the very early days of Castle
Rushen in the Viking era, through the Earls of Derby, Dukes of Athol
to the Revestment - where the Castle and the Isle of Man returned
to the Crown, the Prison, and to the present day.
Go to Building Phases
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