08 June 2026
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Castles from across Britain are celebrated on a new issue from Royal Mail. Here is our full guide on the set.
The landscape of British Isles is studded with castles, both large and small. Some survive as houses or visitor attractions, others as ruins. Today, castles are objects of curiosity, but for centuries, these buildings were great monuments at the heart of political, social and economic life.
The New Royal Mail Stamp Set
A new stamp set released by Royal Mail on 21 May features photography of castles from all four nations of the UK. The set comprises eight 1st class stamps presented in four vertical se-tenant pairs.
Additionally, a miniature sheet of four stamps celebrates four ‘Royal’ castles. These designs feature newly commissioned artworks by the British artist, Rob Ball. Ball has been a graphic designer since 2000 and his miniature sheet design features Windsor Castle, Dover Castle, Caernarfon Castle and Balmoral Castle.
A presentation pack contains both the stamp set and the miniature sheet. British historian John Goodall has written a history of the featured castles and there is also an illustrated map.
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The Featured Castles
Dunluce Castle
Dunluce Castle was built in the 16th century by the MacQuillan Clan, and in July 1604, it was seized by their great rivals the MacDonnell clan. The castle stands on a rock projecting into the sea.
In 1611, a visitor reported that the castle walls included ‘a good house of stone with many lodgings’ and the neighbouring town was ‘peopled for the most part with Scottish men’, who were colonists from across the sea.
Dundrum Castle
Dundrum Castle was one of the first generation of castles built by Anglo-Normans eager to take control of land in Ireland from the 1170s onwards.
Set on a hill above a natural harbour with wide beaches, making it easy for boats to land, the castle was well placed to stay connected with the west coast of England and Wales. We do not know exactly how the castle was first created.
It was likely started by John de Courcy but soon taken over by his rival, Hugh de Lacy, Earl of Ulster, who probably built the round main tower around the year 1211.
Raglan Castle
Raglan Castle supported the king during the Civil Wars. After it surrendered on 19 August 1646, it was purposely destroyed.
Building of the castle began around 1435 by William ap Thomas, but his son, William Herbert, made it much bigger and turned it into a palace-like fortress. The main feature was a large tower called the Yellow Tower of Gwent.
In the 1580s, William Somerset made the castle even larger and added big gardens around it.
Pembroke Castle
In the late 1000s, the Normans quickly took control of south Wales by building castles. Pembroke Castle was one of the biggest and most important because it stood by a safe place for ships to anchor.
Its large, round main tower was likely started in 1199 by William Marshal, a famous knight who became Earl of Pembroke that same year. The top of the tower originally had an unusual design with three layers of battlements.
Urquhart Castle
Around 1230, Alan Durward, who was related to the King of Scotland, began building a castle at Urquhart on the shores of Loch Ness. The rocky land where the castle stands had likely been used by people since the Iron Age.
During the Middle Ages, the castle was involved in fighting and power struggles in Scotland. By the early 1600s, people no longer lived there. The castle was last used by soldiers in 1689, but although it was not attacked, it was damaged and never repaired.
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle stands high on a rocky hill above the River Forth, where it controls an important route between the Highlands and the Lowlands of Scotland.
Two major Scottish victories against England took place nearby: the Battle of Stirling Bridge in 1297 and the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. In 1304, King Edward I tested a huge catapult called the “war‑wolf” during a siege of the castle.
Stirling Castle remained an important royal home throughout the Middle Ages, and its royal rooms, first built around 1538, have recently been rebuilt.
Warwick Castle
Warwick Castle was built by William the Conqueror after the Battle of Hastings in 1066 to help control the area. Construction began in 1068, and some houses were pulled down to make space for the castle.
It later became the home of the Earls of Warwick, an important noble family. From the 1300s, they rebuilt the castle in stone and named its tallest tower after a legendary hero called Guy of Warwick.
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle stands on a rocky hill by the coast. It was first protected as early as the year 547 and became the capital of an early Anglo‑Saxon kingdom. Later, it was used by the Earls of Northumbria.
Around 1120, King Henry I built a large main tower, making it the northernmost royal castle in England. The castle was last attacked in 1464 and fell into poor condition during the 1500s.
In the 1700s it was repaired and used as a hospital and school by Lord Crewe’s Charity, and from 1894 it was rebuilt as a family home for Lord Armstrong of Cragside.
This stamp issue brings together some of Britain’s most important castles, allowing collectors to explore centuries of history through carefully chosen designs and craftsmanship.
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