Visited April 2023

Location	Newbury, Berkshire
Entrance Fee	No
Railway Station Nearby	Newbury- approx. 2miles
Parking	Yes
Facilities	None
Map

Sadly not much left of this castle, but it is sited at the top of a hill with a spectacular view, so certainly worth the climb to visit.

Review

Built in around 1386, this castle originally had four corner towers joined by curtain walls. There were originally wooden buildings in the courtyard, including a a hall and guest accommodation. The gatehouse was built of stone, and had double towers. This is the only part of the castle that still stands today.

Like many castles, the civil war did much damage to Donnington. Its proximity to Oxford where Charles I had set up his camp meant it was in the thick of the fighting. It was attacked numerous times, and was finally taken by the parliamentarians. 

After the civil war was over parliament voted to demolish what was left of the castle, and that is when most of the buildings were removed, leaving just the gatehouse as we see today. 

The towers survive to full height but unfortunately there is no access to the inside, or opportunity to climb them. Access to the gatehouse is locked but you can peek inside through the railings and view the ornate ceiling.

Behind the gatehouse is the remains of the enclosure, there are some of the walls still in situ but only up to the height of about half a metre. This gives an idea of the scale of the original castle. 

Although there is not much left to see of the castle today it is well worth a climb up the hill to visit. Once there the visitor can enjoy views over the surrounding area, and take a stroll around the site or use the space to let the kids run around a bit .

There are no facilities at the castle but nearby Newbury offers opportunities to buy food.

More info:  English Heritage Donnington Castle