A Devon Pride group has transformed a 1,000-year-old Norman castle with a giant rainbow flag, creating a striking celebration of LGBTQ+ history, visibility and community.
Around 400 people gathered at Totnes Castle on Saturday to watch a 150-metre rainbow flag unfurled across the historic landmark as part of this year's Totnes Pride festival.
The event, dubbed "Capture the Castle", saw around 30 local LGBTQ+ people help display the huge flag at the English Heritage site, which dates back to the 11th century.
Organisers said the spectacle was designed as a celebration of LGBTQ+ arts, culture and community, while also highlighting the long-standing presence of queer people throughout British history.
Ceri Goddard, from Totnes Pride, said covering the town's most recognisable landmark with the rainbow flag was intended to send a powerful message of inclusion. "The iconic castle will show that queer people have always been here and we always will be," Goddard told the BBC.
She praised English Heritage for supporting the project and helping organisers navigate the logistical challenges involved in draping the medieval castle with the enormous flag.
Goddard described Totnes as "a very diverse community" experiencing a cultural renaissance and said organisers hope the success of this year's event will inspire even more people to get involved in future Pride celebrations.
"We are looking for new ideas and new people to get involved so I suspect it will be bigger next year because everybody's heard about it," she said.
The installation formed part of a four-day Pride programme featuring more than 40 events celebrating the town's LGBTQ+ community alongside local arts, music and culture.
A spokesperson for Totnes Pride said: "Capture the Castle is the image that will define this year's festival, but what we've built around it is a genuinely ambitious arts and culture programme.
"We've worked hard to create a four-day programme that reflects what makes this town special."
While the display attracted criticism from some conservative commentators and activists, Liberal Democrat MP Caroline Voaden praised the "scale, diversity and quality" of the festival, saying it sent "a clear message of equality and inclusion".
Totnes Castle was built around 1087, just two decades after the Norman Conquest, and remains one of the country's best-preserved motte-and-bailey castles. Nearly a millennium later, it provided the backdrop for a different kind of history, as hundreds gathered to celebrate LGBTQ+ visibility and community in the heart of Devon.
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