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New, stronger defences consisting of stone walls and extensive water features were added by King John in the early 13th century, allowing the castle to withstand a full-scale siege over six months in 1266.
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The siege of Kenilworth, also known as the great siege of 1266, was a six-month siege of Kenilworth Castle and a battle of the Second Barons' War. The siege was a part of an English civil war fought from 1264 to 1267 by the forces of Simon de Montfort against the Royalist forces led by Prince Edward. -
In 1563 Elizabeth I granted the castle to Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester, who transformed Kenilworth into a magnificent palace. Famously he entertained the queen here for 19 days of festivities in 1575. -
The castle’s fortifications were dismantled in 1650 after the English Civil War.