Double Castle-top Card Case, 1844 Nat Mills

This fine silver castle top card case has two very crisp and well detailed scenes one to either side. The front shows the South Wing of Windsor Castle together with a vacant cartouche to the hinged cover. The obverse depicts Kenilworth Castle and both sides are framed by superb chased foliate scrolls. The high quality of the detailing with this card case is typical of its maker, Nathaniel Mills, and it bears a crisp set of hallmarks for this premier silver box maker. Superb condition throughout.

Windsor Castle was the principal residence of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Today, it continues to be one of the official homes’ of Queen Elizabeth II and is the largest inhabited castle in the world. The majority of English monarchs have lived in the castle at some stage and dating back to William the Conqueror (King between 1066 and 1087), is the oldest castle in continuous occupation in the world. The scene shown is the South Wing and is the most famous view of the castle. The flag flying in the centre of the scene indicates that the monarch is in residence.

The massive keep of Kenilworth Castle was built during the1120's. The castle was further fortified by King John between 1210 and 1215, which enabled the occupants to hold out for an epic siege against the army of Henry III in 1266. The greatest period of fame for the castle came during the reign of Elizabeth I when one of her favourites - Robert Dudley, turned the castle in to a great Renaissance "prodigy house". The celebrated Scottish novelist Walter Scott wrote a novel about the decaying castle in 1821 entitled "Kenilworth" ensuring the popularity of Kenilworth Castle for tourists during the 19th century.