1We'll be arriving at Branley Castle in about five minutes,
2but before we get there I'll give you a little information about the castle and what our visit will include.
3So in fact there's been a castle on this site for over 1100 years.
4The first building was a fort constructed in 914 AD
5for defence against Danish invaders by King Alfred the Great's daughter,
6who ruled England at the time.
7In the following century, after the Normans conquered England,
8the land was given to a nobleman called Richard de Vere,
9and he built a castle there that stayed in the de Vere family for over 400 years.
10However, when Queen Elizabeth I announced that she was going to visit the castle in 1576
11it was beginning to look a bit run down,
12and it was decided that rather than repair the guest rooms,
13they'd make a new house for her out of wood next to the main hall.
14She stayed there for four nights and apparently it was very luxurious,
15but unfortunately it was destroyed a few years later by fire.
16In the seventeenth century the castle belonged to the wealthy Fenys family,
17who enlarged it and made it more comfortable.
18However, by 1982 the Fenys family could no longer afford to maintain the castle,
19even though they received government support, and they put it on the market.
20It was eventually taken over by a company who owned a number of amusement parks,
21but when we get there I think you'll see that they've managed to retain the original atmosphere of the castle.
22When you go inside, you'll find that in the state rooms
23there are life-like moving wax models dressed in costumes of different periods in the past,
24which even carry on conversations together.
25As well as that, in every room there are booklets giving information about what the room was used for
26and the history of the objects and furniture it contains.
27The castle park's quite extensive.
28At one time sheep were kept there,
29and in the nineteenth century the owners had a little zoo with animals like rabbits
30and even a baby elephant.
31Nowadays the old zoo buildings are used for public displays of paintings and sculpture.
32The park also has some beautiful trees,
33though the oldest of all, which dated back 800 years,
34was sadly blown down in 1987.
35Now, you're free to wander around on your own until 4.30
36but then at the end of our visit
37we'll all meet together at the bottom of the Great Staircase.
38We'll then go on to the long gallery,
39where there's a wonderful collection of photographs showing the family who owned the castle a hundred years ago
40having tea and cakes in the conservatory -
41and we'll then take you to the same place,
42where afternoon tea will be served to you.
43Now if you can take a look at your plans you'll see Branley Castle has four towers,
44joined together by a high wall, with the river on two sides.
45Don't miss seeing the Great Hall.
46That's near the river in the main tower, the biggest one,
47which was extended and redesigned in the eighteenth century.
48If you want to get a good view of the whole castle, you can walk around the walls.
49The starting point's quite near the main entrance -
50walk straight down the path until you get to the south gate, and it's just there.
51Don't go on to the north gate - there's no way up from there.
52There'll shortly be a show in which you can see archers displaying their skill with a bow and arrow.
53The quickest way to get there is to take the first left after the main entrance
54and follow the path past the bridge,
55then you'll see it in front of you at the end.
56If you like animals there's also a display of hunting birds -
57falcons and eagles and so on.
58If you go from the main entrance in the direction of the south gate,
59but turn right before you get there instead of going through it,
60you'll see it on your right past the first tower.
61At 3 pm there's a short performance of traditional dancing on the outdoor stage.
62That's right at the other side of the castle from the entrance, and over the bridge.
63It's about ten minutes' walk or so.
64And finally, the shop
65It's actually inside one of the towers,
66but the way in is from the outside.
67Just take the first left after the main entrance, go down the path and take the first right.
68It's got some lovely gifts and souvenirs.
69Right, so we're just arriving...