The gate house was the weakest point of any fortification so had to be the strongest- which is why so many survive intact at otherwise ruined castles and monasteries. This is the gatehouse at Tonbridge Castle- I've known it most of my life and rather take it for granted and forget just how massive it is.
The people in the foreground are Mike and Su, my son and daughter-in-law. They've just bought their first car- and we took it for a little run out to Tonbridge because I wanted to see how it went. It went very well. There was a festival in progress in the castle grounds- and it would have cost us £30 each to go through the gates- so we didn't. Not that there's much to see inside; everything that's striking about the castle can be viewed from the perimeter.
