Warwick Castle is set to splash out £500,000 to bring its world-famous trebuchet back to life.

The castle began drumming up talk around the replica siege weapon last month by placing an advert on Facebook Marketplace.

Now the town's main tourist attraction has confirmed the siege machine is being replaced with a new working replica, enabling the castle to launch a brand-new show.

The trebuchet is currently the world's largest example of this particular type of war machinery and replicates the 13th and 14th century original designs.

Having been built in 2005 the 22-tonne siege weapon was fired nearly 11,000 times before being taken out of action.

The current trebuchet is currently being removed and dismantled, with the existing metal work being reused in the new machine. 

To ensure the replacement trebuchet remains historically authentic, Warwick Castle has appointed Carpenter Oak to undertake the rebuild.

Carpenter Oak not only built the current castle trebuchet but is also exceptionally experienced in recreating historical siege weapons, including a Roman Ballista and Leonardo Di Vinci's crossbow.

Work on the replacement includes sourcing specialist wood (oak and ash) from France, and will see the carving of the wooden structure's parts at Carpenter Oak's specialist workshop, before being moved to the Castle's River Island where on-site construction is expected to take 10 weeks.

It is hoped the new trebuchet will be launched to the public in spring 2023.

Liam Bartlett, operations director at Warwick Castle, said: "For many years the trebuchet has been one of our most popular attractions and families would flock to see this exciting piece of authentic history in action.

"However, years of launching heavy projectiles hundreds of metres took its toll and the wear and tear got to the point where it was no longer safe to operate.

"We are delighted to be able to make this substantial investment to replace it and once again showcase this masterful piece of machinery. I can't wait to see it unleashed again with a brand new show and I know our many visitors will feel the same."

The new trebuchet, which will be made to the same specifications as the old one, will be 18 metres tall, made from over 300 pieces of oak and weigh 22 tonnes. All the wood used is oak, except for the arm which is made from ash.

The machine is capable of launching projectiles up to 250m.

For the full calendar of events and shows at Warwick Castle, please visit www.warwick-castle.com/explore/events