Astley Castle and the English Civil War

Astley Castle in Warwickshire. Photo: © RIBA

The 2013 RIBA Stirling Prize for Architecture was recently won by Astley Castle in Warwickshire.

In the publicity surrounding the prize a brief mention was given to its role as a Parliamentarian garrison in the 1640s. Here's a bit more about it's role during the conflict (video and map below) ...

Charles I - 'murder'd'

The record for January 1648/9 noting the king's death.

An intriguing record concerning the execution of Charles I has recently come to light in a Hertfordshire parish register ...

Firing a matchlock musket

Short video from the Royal Armouries showing how a soldier in the English Civil War would load and fire a matchlock musket.

More articles on arms and armour

Q&A: Matthew Hopkins and the Wormhole (Kevin Pearce, singer-songwriter)

Essex singer-songwriter Kevin Pearce. Photo: © Kevin Pearce.

An article in the Independent about indie artists who’ve recently looked to the 17th century for inspiration brought me to Kevin Pearce.

The Essex singer-songwriter's latest album, Matthew Hopkins and Wormhole, has an ethereal, acoustic-electric sound, with Kevin's vocals soaring like a kaleidoscopic ray from the future returning to stir ghosts from the past.

I asked Kevin about his work, and how he came to write an album inspired by Hopkins, the 'Witchfinder General' who terrorised East Anglia in the 1640s …