aerial photograph of Warwick Castle , Warwickshire, England UK. The first fortification on the site was built in 914 AD, by Alfred the Great's daughter Æthelflæd, to defend against Danish raiding parties. William the Conqueror constructed a wooden Motte and Bailey castle in 1068 only two years after the Norman invasion. This was replaced by King Henry II in the 12th century with a more permanent stone Castle. In AD 1264 the Castle was captured by Simon de Montford during the second Barons rebellion. The castle was altered and improved throughout the medieval period, however by the time Elizabeth I visited the castle, in 1566, it was in a very poor state of repair. The castle was refortified during the English Civil war and the defending Parliamentarian garrison successfully withstood a siege by attacking royalist forces. By the 17th century the castle had lost its military significance and was converted to a residential home. Today it is owned by a private company and is open to the public..