Castles in Yorkshire
A huge, stark Norman castle overlooking the River Swale, at the entrance to Swaledale. The fortifications are massively built, and have been hardly altered since the 12th century.
Riverside Road, Richmond, Yorkshire, England, DL10 4QW
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Heritage Highlight: One of the earliest stone castles in Norman England.
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Sandal Castle is a motte and bailey fortification on the outskirts of Wakefield, Yorkshire. The castle was probably erected early years of the 12th century. Its moment in the spotlight of history came in 1460, during the Wars of the Roses, when the Battle of Wakefield was fought nearby.
Manygates Lane, Off the A61, Sandal Castle, Yorkshire, England, WF2 7DG
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Scarborough Castle is a medieval ruined fortress atop high cliffs looking over the North Sea. The site was alternately fortified by Romans, Saxons, and Vikings before Henry II built the castle you can see today.
Castle Road, Scarborough, Yorkshire, England, YO11 1HY
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Heritage Highlight: Henry II's Great Tower
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Substantial remains of a Norman motte, or castle mound, erected prior to 1086 by Drogo de Beauvriere, Lord of Holderness. Skipsea was one of the first Norman castles in Britain, and it served as the principal residence for the Lords of Holderness before they built a new manor at Burstwick.
Bail Gate, Beeford Road, Skipsea, Yorkshire, England, YO25 8TH
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One of the best preserved medieval castles in England, Skipton Castle was built by Robert de Romille around 1090. The fortress was granted by the crown to the Clifford family in 1310. Skipton was besieged by Parliamentary troops during the Civil War, a siege that lasted for three years before the castle was forced to surrender. It fell into disrepair following the conflict but was restored by Lady Anne Clifford around 1659. The castle is built around a cobbled courtyard, at the centre of which rises a yew tree planted by Lady Clifford to celebrate the restoration of the castle.
The Bailey, Skipton, Yorkshire Dales, Yorkshire, England, BD23 1AW
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Spofforth Castle was a fortified manor house belonging to the powerful Percy family. There was a manor house here as early as the 11th century, but the current castle ruins belong primarily to the 14th and 15th centuries. The best-preserved parts of the castle are the hall and solar, but the oldest section is the undercroft, which dates to the 13th century and lies beneath the great hall and family quarters.
Castle Street, Spofforth, Yorkshire, England
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Whorlton Castle was begun shortly after the Norman Conquest as a motte and bailey fortress but was completely rebuilt as a fortified tower house around 1343. The best-preserved part of the castle is the 14th-century gatehouse.
Whorlton Lane, Swainby, Yorkshire, England, DL6 3EA
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Heritage Highlight: 14th-century gatehouse
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