Astley Castle and Elizabethan Knot Garden
“The Building Bears Strong Marks of the Ravages of Time and Presents an Extremely Picturesque Appearance” Britton’s “Beauties of England and Wales“.
The Stirling Prize is the most prestigious prize for British architecture awarded annually :
“to the architects of the building that has made the greatest contribution to the evolution of architecture over the past year. The prize is for the best building in the UK by RIBA chartered architects and International Fellows, or in the rest of the EU by an RIBA chartered architect.”
“The RIBA Stirling Prize was born in 1996 out of its predecessor The Building of the Year Award. The Building of the Year Award had been running since 1988 and the winner was chosen by the RIBA President from a handful of National Award winners. This was thought of as neither transparent nor democratic. The aim with the Stirling Prize was that the winner should be decided in an unbiased way, with different juries visiting the ‘midlist’ and shortlist.
The new prize was named after James Stirling, the great British architect who died in 1992. The aim was that the Stirling Prize would be for architecture what the Booker Prize was for literature, and a £20,000 cash prize for the winning architects made the prize covetable as well as prestigious.” [Source]
In 2012 I was fortunate enough to be invited by friends who are Patrons of The Landmark Trust to attend the celebration opening of Astley Castle in July 2012. Immediately on leaving the reception and arriving home I decided to book the castle for a week (Monday to Friday) in November 2013.
Here are some of the highlights and light effects from this unforgettable stay.
Arriving at Astley
The Ruins
Sunlight after the rain
Outdoor Dining
Indoor Dining
Courtyard
Castle Visiting – Kenilworth Castle
miladysboudoir 
I apologize for not commenting in so long, but I have been traveling with you almost daily, and thank you as always. This too is so beautiful, and your photographs do do it justice!
No apology needed, Sarah. It’s lovely to think that you are reading my posts and travelling alongside – thank YOU! Barbara
I remember seeing this on TV and thinking it was a wonderfully imaginative piece of “restoration” and the prize very well deserved.
Naturally, I agree, Nilly. It was just so lovely being there – Kenilworth was the only, very brief, excursion. Read more about Astley in the coming days.
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