A Few Words About Us
Ron Lyons
Since I was a kid, I was always fascinated by castles and stories of knights in shining armor. In 1990, I took my first trip to Europe to visit friends in Germany. We drove to the Middle Rhine region, where I saw my first castles up close. I have been obsessed with castles ever since.
In the late 1990's I lived in Northern England for a few years and would spend most weekends visiting castles in North Yorkshire. I could see Knaresborough Castle from my bedroom window in the winter when no leaves were on the trees. It was a magical place to live.
I began the site in the late 90s to share castle adventures and pictures with family, using the free web space that came with my AOL account. When I moved back to the United States, I registered the Great Castles domain name, and the site began to take shape. Now over 20 years later, the site continues to grow.
The site's only goal is to promote interest in castles and their preservation. I hope you find something that draws your interest during your visit to Great Castles, and thanks for visiting!
Seth Friedman
I love to study castles and research their histories, but spelling, grammar, and story flow could be stronger suits of mine.
This site would not be possible without Seth Friedman, who serves as our Chief Editor, tirelessly reviewing and correcting my numerous spelling and grammatical errors and organizing content for better comprehension. This site is only so polished because of his efforts.
Thanks Seth!
Richard Jones
During those early years, I received an email from a visitor who sent me two pictures of a stairwell in Spofforth Castle in North Yorkshire, England, which ironically was about 10 miles from my house. One photo showed a crystal clear stairwell, and the second picture was taken a few seconds later of the same stairwell but had a white mist in the middle of the staircase. The sender hoped I could tell them if it was a ghost.
Well, I know nothing about ghosts, but a book I had, Haunted Castles of Britain and Ireland by Richard Jones, had an email address on the back cover. So I decided to send the pictures to the author and see what he thought, explaining I had a castle site, loved his book, and used some of his stories in a watered-down version on the site. And if he didn't want me using his stories, I would gladly take them down. Amazingly, I received a reply the next day. Mr. Jones replied and said that the picture with the ghostly mist was nothing more than a combination of dampness on the camera lens and sunlight. He also said he was happy for me to use his ghost stories as long as I acknowledged him as the source.
Richard and I stayed in contact and became friends. Each time I visit England, I spend time with him in London, accompanying him on one of his ghost walks. He is a unique, energetic storyteller and one of the nicest people I know.
Now 20 years on, I have been to over 200 castles and seen some incredible historical artifacts. But I often think back to that first email from a visitor and the friendship that came from it. That has been the best part of the whole journey.
Thanks Chud, for everything!