At first glance, Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire, England, appears more like an abandoned ruin than an informative historical museum. Guests walk around the ruins, feel the stones, peer through the tower's small windows, and stroll across the green hill to the gardens. There aren't many guides leading tours, at least during the winter, and those self-guided “telephone-type” tours that crackle in the ears of visitors at so many public museums are nonexistent. Instead, Kenilworth Castle can sink peacefully into the misty air, pleasantly understated. Visitors are invited to create their own historical journey, or treat the ruins like a large playground: they are not forced to walk through winding passages of decorated and painted information boards before seeing the actual ruins. The castle is of Norman origin, and its history spans "more than five centuries" (Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden). It was built "about 1120 by Geoffrey de Clinton, the Lord Chamberlain of Henry I", (Kenilworth Castle) and later passed from Henry II and King John (1210-1215) to King Henry III. Henry III continued John's work by strengthening the castle as a fortress, and then ceded the castle to Simon de Montfort, against whom he later ended up fighting. After a battle against Simon's son, Henry III won and his son, Edmund Earl of Lancaster, inherited the castle in 1300. In later years, notable families such as the Tudors moved into the castle (1492), which became more of an elaborate home than a fortress, although the castle's remaining defenses were damaged by Parliament during the Civil War (Kenilworth Castle). Kenilworth is today more widely known as a palace when Robert Dudley, the Earl of Leicester and a favorite of the Queen ...... middle of paper ...... every day: requires effort on the part of visitors, a who are given the opportunity to decide which events pique their interest and are worth attending. The uniqueness of Kenilworth Castle does not lie in its ability to offer its guests a rich assortment of entertainment activities every day; a more relaxed atmosphere reigns here. Visitors are given the opportunity to physically interact with over five centuries of history and walk through the ruins of Britain's past, at their own pace. Works Cited "Kenilworth Castle and Elizabethan Garden | English Heritage". English Heritage Home Page | English heritage. Network. 04 April 2011. "Kenilworth Castle". TimeRef - Timeline of the history of the Middle Ages and the Middle Ages for children and adults. Network. 04 April. 2011. .