About
Carisbrooke Castle Museum is housed within the medieval walls of Carisbrooke Castle near Newport on the Isle of Wight — one of the finest and most historically significant medieval castles in England and the most important historic monument on the island. The museum, established in 1898, holds collections that range from prehistoric finds to Victorian royal memorabilia, telling the long and often dramatic story of the castle and its central place in the history of the Isle of Wight.
Carisbrooke Castle occupies a hilltop site that has been fortified since at least the Roman period. The Norman motte-and-bailey castle was established shortly after the Conquest, and the castle was developed and strengthened by subsequent lords of the island. By the later medieval period it was a formidable stronghold, and its massive curtain walls and gatehouse remain among the most impressive medieval military architecture in southern England. Later Elizabethan earthworks — added in the late sixteenth century to resist the threat of Spanish invasion — extend the fortifications and are visible from much of the island.
The castle is most famous as the place of imprisonment of King Charles I, who was brought here in November 1647 following his flight from Parliamentary custody. Charles spent most of the period from November 1647 to November 1648 at Carisbrooke, making two notable — and unsuccessful — escape attempts. In the first attempt he became stuck between the bars of his window; in the second his horse proved too slow. His imprisonment at Carisbrooke is one of the most dramatic episodes of the English Civil War, and the museum explores this period with particular depth, drawing on the castle's own documents and the rich historical literature on Charles's captivity.
The museum was established with the personal involvement of Princess Beatrice (1857-1944), Queen Victoria's youngest daughter and constant companion, who became Governor of the Isle of Wight following her husband's death and took a deep interest in Carisbrooke's history and collections. Princess Beatrice's personal contributions to the museum — including objects from her own collection — are an important part of its heritage.
The famous donkey wheel — a medieval treadwheel powered by donkeys to raise water from the castle's deep well — remains one of the most memorable experiences on the Isle of Wight. Trained donkeys continue to demonstrate the wheel to visitors, providing an unforgettable and entirely practical demonstration of medieval engineering.
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Highlights
The Donkey Wheel — Medieval Engineering in Action
The treadwheel at Carisbrooke Castle is one of the most unusual and memorable visitor experiences in England — a genuine medieval mechanism, powered by specially trained donkeys walking inside the wheel to raise water from the deep castle well (approximately 49 metres, or 160 feet, deep). Demonstrations take place daily when the donkeys are on duty, and the sight of a donkey patiently treading to raise a bucket of water from the depths is both charming and informative.
This is the last working example of a donkey wheel in an English castle.
The Imprisonment of King Charles I
Carisbrooke Castle is most famous as the place where King Charles I was held prisoner from November 1647 to November 1648 — a pivotal period in the English Civil War between his escape from Hampton Court and his trial and execution in January 1649. The museum explores Charles's imprisonment in depth: his arrival on the island, his initially comfortable captivity, his correspondence with his supporters on the mainland, his two failed escape attempts, and the tightening of his confinement as Parliamentary suspicions grew.
The room associated with Charles's failed escape attempt — where he became lodged between the bars — is one of the castle's most visited spaces.
The Norman Castle and Medieval Architecture
Carisbrooke Castle is one of the finest examples of medieval military architecture in southern England. The Norman motte — the central earthwork mound on which a wooden tower was initially raised — survives as the highest point of the castle, topped with a later medieval shell keep that commands extraordinary views across the island.
The massive curtain walls, the great gatehouse with its intact portcullis mechanism, and the great hall foundations are all visible and interpreted.
Walking the medieval ramparts gives a powerful sense of how the castle dominated the island's defences for centuries.
Elizabethan Earthworks — Defending Against Spain
In the late sixteenth century, with the threat of Spanish invasion real and present (the Spanish Armada sailed in 1588), the defences of Carisbrooke were comprehensively modernised. Italianate earthwork bastions — a cutting-edge military engineering technology pioneered in Italy and spreading across Europe — were constructed outside the medieval walls, creating artillery platforms capable of resisting cannon fire.
These earthworks, which greatly expand the area of the castle's defences, survive in excellent condition and represent one of the finest Elizabethan military engineering projects in England.
Collections
Carisbrooke Castle — The Full Story
Comprehensive history of the castle from its Roman and Norman origins through to the twentieth century, with particular focus on the imprisonment of Charles I.
Isle of Wight Collections
Collections reflecting the history, natural history, and identity of the Isle of Wight.
The Donkey Wheel
The medieval treadwheel mechanism and interpretation of the castle's remarkable well — with daily donkey demonstrations.
Current Exhibitions
No current exhibitions. Please check the museum website for updates.