Built on the banks of the Avon on the site of a Norman mound and interior courtyard, which were probably originally a Saxon fortification, the castle was the fief of the Counts of Warwick. The castle is very much alive today, thanks to the scenes from its history recreated with the help of wax figures, all in a splended decor: the Great Hall (14C), and sumptuously decorated 17C and 18C state apartments. A stroll in the fine gardens and formal rose garden round off the visit.