Editing Wallingford, Oxfordshire (section)

=== Wallingford Castle ===
{{main|Wallingford Castle}}
[[File:Wallingford Castle Gardens - geograph.org.uk - 1295139.jpg|thumb|Wallingford Castle]]
Wallingford Castle was a major [[medieval]] [[castle]]. Established in the 11th century as a [[motte-and-bailey]] design within an [[Anglo-Saxon]] ''[[burgh]]'', it grew to become what historian [[Nicholas Brooks (historian)|Nicholas Brooks]] has described as "one of the most powerful royal castles of the 12th and 13th centuries". During [[The Anarchy]] the castle held the [[Empress Matilda]] and her son the future [[Henry II of England|King Henry II]]. It was the site of the signing of the [[Treaty of Wallingford]], which began the end of the conflict and set the path to a negotiated peace. Over the next two centuries Wallingford became a luxurious castle, used by royalty and their immediate family. After being abandoned as a royal residence by [[Henry VIII of England|Henry VIII]], the castle fell into decline.

Refortified during the [[English Civil War]], Wallingford was held as a [[Cavalier|Royalist]] stronghold commanded by Colonel [[Thomas Blagge]]. In 1645 General [[Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron|Thomas Fairfax]] placed [[Wallingford Castle]] under siege; after 16 weeks, during which [[Siege of Oxford|Oxford fell]] to [[roundheads|Parliamentary]] forces, the castle finally surrendered in July 1646 under generous terms for the defenders. The risk of civil conflict continued, however, and [[Oliver Cromwell]] decided that it was necessary to [[Slighting|slight]] the castle in 1652, as it remained a surprisingly powerful fortress and a continuing threat should any fresh uprising occur.

The castle was virtually razed to the ground in the operation, although a brick building continued to be used as a prison into the 18th century. A large house was built in the [[Bailey (castle)|bailey]] in 1700, followed by a [[Gothic architecture|Gothic]] mansion house on the same site in 1837. The mansion, abandoned due to rising costs, was demolished in 1972, allowing [[Wallingford Castle]] to be declared a [[scheduled monument]] as well as a [[Grade I listed]] building. The castle grounds, including the remains of [[St Nicholas]] College, sections of the castle wall and the [[motte]] hill, are now open to the public.