Location: Skipton, North Yorkshire Map
Constructed: 1090 by Robert de Romille
Tel. 01756 792442
Open:
daily
Closed: 25 Dec
Entrance Fee: adult £5.80
children (5- 15 yrs)
£3.20
Official site
Skipton Castle is a remarkably well-preserved medieval fortress located in the market town of Skipton, North Yorkshire, England, at the northern end of the High Street (coordinates approximately 54°15′48″N 2°00′54″W). Overlooking the town and serving as the gateway to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, it was originally built around 1090 by Norman baron Robert de Romille as a motte-and-bailey structure to assert control over the region following the Conquest. Rebuilt in stone and expanded over centuries, it stands as one of England's most complete medieval castles, fully roofed and intact, blending military strength with domestic features. Owned by the Fattorini family since 1956, it functions as a popular tourist attraction, drawing visitors for its historical significance, architectural integrity, and scenic setting amid the Dales' rolling hills and Eller Beck stream. The castle's strategic position on a natural rise, backed by a steep cliff, provided natural defenses against Scottish raids, while today it offers panoramic views of the surrounding countryside and proximity to local amenities like markets and the Leeds-Liverpool Canal.
Skipton Castle, located in the market town of Skipton in North
Yorkshire, England, is one of the best-preserved and most complete
medieval castles in the country. Constructed initially in the late 11th
century as a defensive stronghold overlooking the Eller Beck and the
southern entrance to the Yorkshire Dales, it evolved from a simple
motte-and-bailey structure into a formidable stone fortress and
luxurious residence. The castle is particularly associated with the
Clifford family, who held it for over 300 years, and played significant
roles in events like the Wars of the Roses and the English Civil War.
Today, privately owned by the Fattorini family since 1956 and managed as
a historic site, it attracts visitors with its intact towers, gatehouse,
and interiors, offering a glimpse into medieval life and architecture.
Foundation and Early History (11th–13th Centuries)
The castle's
origins date to around 1090, shortly after the Norman Conquest, when
Robert de Romille (or Romilly), a Norman baron, built a motte-and-bailey
castle on a rocky outcrop to defend against Scottish incursions and
control the strategic Aire Gap route. The initial structure was made of
earth and timber, with a motte (raised mound) topped by a wooden keep
and a bailey enclosed by a palisade and ditch. Romille had received the
Honour of Skipton—extensive lands formerly held by Anglo-Saxon
lords—from William Rufus (William II) as a reward for his loyalty.
In
1102, Romille forfeited the castle after participating in a rebellion
against Henry I, and it briefly passed to the Crown before being granted
to others, including possibly the de Forz family. By the mid-12th
century, some stone reinforcements may have been added, but major stone
construction began later. The estate changed hands through marriage and
inheritance; after Romille's death around 1096, his daughter Cecily
married William Meschin, and their daughter Alice married William
FitzDuncan, briefly linking it to Scottish royalty. In 1269, following
the death of the last de Forz heir, Edward I granted the castle to his
wife, Eleanor of Castile, and later to his favorite, Piers Gaveston,
before it reverted to the Crown.
The Clifford Era and
Fortification (14th–16th Centuries)
In 1310, Edward II awarded
Skipton to Robert Clifford, 1st Baron Clifford, as a reward for his
service at the Battle of Bannockburn (though Clifford died there in
1314). Clifford transformed the castle into a stone fortress, replacing
wooden structures with a massive curtain wall, six round towers, a
twin-towered gatehouse, and domestic buildings around a central
courtyard. This made it one of the strongest in northern England,
capable of withstanding sieges.
The Cliffords were staunch
Lancastrians during the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487). John Clifford,
9th Baron ("Black-Faced Clifford"), earned notoriety for his brutality,
including the murder of Edmund, Earl of Rutland, after the Battle of
Wakefield in 1460. He was killed at Ferrybridge in 1461, and the family
estates were attainted. Henry Clifford, 10th Baron ("the Shepherd
Lord"), lived in hiding as a shepherd before reclaiming the castle under
Henry VII in 1485. His son, Henry Clifford, 1st Earl of Cumberland,
added Renaissance influences, including a new entrance and the Conduit
Court. The castle hosted notable figures, such as Henry VIII's niece
Lady Eleanor Brandon.
Architectural Developments
Skipton's
architecture reflects its evolution from defensive to residential. The
14th-century core includes the curtain wall with drum towers, a great
hall, solar, and kitchens. The gatehouse, rebuilt in the Tudor period,
features the Clifford motto "Desormais" ("Henceforth") and yew tree
emblem. Lady Anne Clifford's 17th-century restorations added a shell
grotto and repaired Civil War damage, preserving medieval elements like
the banqueting hall and octagonal tower. The castle's layout centers on
the Conduit Court, with ranges for living quarters, a chapel, and
dungeons.
Key Events: Civil War and Restoration (17th Century)
During the English Civil War (1642–1651), Skipton was a Royalist
stronghold under Sir John Mallory, withstanding a three-year
Parliamentary siege from 1642 to 1645—the longest in the conflict. The
garrison, reduced to starvation, surrendered honorably in 1645.
Parliament ordered the castle slighted (demolished) in 1649, removing
roofs and battlements.
Lady Anne Clifford, the last Clifford owner
(1588–1676), inherited in 1649 and defied orders to restore it, famously
planting a yew tree in the courtyard to mark the occasion. Her
restorations from 1657–1659 included new roofs and interiors, blending
medieval and Stuart styles.
Decline and Modern History (18th
Century–Present)
After Lady Anne's death in 1676, the castle passed
to the Tufton Earls of Thanet, who used it sporadically as a residence
and for estate management. In the 19th century, it served as barracks
during the Napoleonic Wars and housed prisoners. The Thanets sold it in
1956 to the Fattorini family, who opened it to the public while
maintaining it as a private residence. Minor restorations have preserved
its structure, and it escaped Victorian alterations.
Current
Status
Skipton Castle is a Grade I listed building and Scheduled
Ancient Monument, open year-round with guided tours exploring its
900-year history. Features include the medieval banqueting hall, chapel,
and Lady Anne's yew tree. It hosts events and remains a symbol of
Yorkshire's heritage.
Overall Layout and Site Planning
The castle's layout is compact
and concentric, exploiting natural defenses with steep cliffs dropping
30 meters (100 feet) to Eller Beck on the north and northwest sides,
rendering those flanks impregnable. The site forms an irregular polygon,
with an inner bailey centered on the Conduit Court—a Tudor-era courtyard
about 30 meters (100 feet) across, named for its lead conduit that once
supplied water. This court is enclosed by six massive drum towers
connected by curtain walls and domestic ranges. An outer curtain wall,
largely intact, surrounds the inner wards and subsidiary buildings,
including the ruins of a 12th-century chapel to the east. The main
entrance is through a twin-towered gatehouse on the south side,
originally accessed by a drawbridge over a dry moat (now filled). The
design integrates military fortification with domestic spaces, with the
northern domestic range shielding the court from the cliffside
precipice. The total site spans about 2.4 hectares (6 acres), with
buildings arranged to maximize defense while providing living quarters
for the garrison and household.
Key Structures: Gatehouse,
Towers, and Domestic Ranges
The Norman gatehouse, dating to the late
12th century, is the castle's most iconic feature—a twin-towered
structure with rounded bastions flanking a pointed arched entrance,
topped by battlements and the Clifford motto "Desormais" (Henceforth)
inscribed in large letters. The towers rise three storeys, with the
eastern one housing a 17th-century shell grotto adorned with shells,
corals, and crystals—one of only two such surviving examples in England.
The gatehouse includes guardrooms, a portcullis slot, and murder holes
for defense.
The six drum towers, added primarily in the early 14th
century under Robert Clifford, are semi-circular projections from the
curtain walls, each about 12-15 meters (40-50 feet) in diameter and up
to 20 meters (65 feet) high. They provided flanking fire and housed
chambers; the Watch Tower on the northeast offers panoramic views and
features arrow slits and a fighting chamber. The towers connect via
thick curtain walls (up to 3.7 meters/12 feet thick), forming a
continuous defensive circuit.
The domestic ranges occupy the northern
and eastern sides. The northern range, rebuilt in the 16th-17th
centuries, spans two storeys: the ground floor includes new kitchens,
beer cellars, and storage vaults with barrel vaulting, while the first
floor houses the original medieval kitchen (with vast fireplaces and
ovens), the banqueting hall (or great hall, featuring a high timber roof
and minstrels' gallery), withdrawing rooms, and the lord's bedchamber
with ornate plasterwork. An eastern wing, added in the 16th century,
includes a library and additional lodgings. Subsidiary structures in the
outer ward include the chapel ruins (dedicated to St. John the
Evangelist, with Norman arches) and a dungeon beneath one tower.
Architectural Styles and Evolution
Skipton Castle's architecture
evolved from Norman austerity to Tudor domesticity. The original 1090
motte-and-bailey was timber and earth, replaced in the 12th century with
stone in Norman style—characterized by thick walls, rounded arches, and
the gatehouse's defensive towers. Early 14th-century additions under the
Cliffords introduced Gothic elements, such as pointed arches in the
gatehouse and vaulted cellars, emphasizing military strength amid
Scottish threats.
By the 16th century, under Henry Clifford, the
castle shifted toward residential comfort with Tudor influences: larger
mullioned windows for light, a new staircase replacing the drawbridge,
and an extended domestic wing with Renaissance plaster ceilings and
fireplaces. The 1650s restoration by Lady Anne Clifford preserved these
features while repairing Civil War damage, adding the yew tree in the
Conduit Court as a symbol of renewal. Overall, the style blends medieval
fortification with later palatial elements, making it a transitional
example of English castle architecture.
Materials and
Construction Techniques
The castle is constructed primarily from
local millstone grit sandstone, chosen for its durability and
availability, laid in coursed ashlar blocks for facades and rubble cores
for walls. Lime mortar binds the stones, with some areas featuring
herringbone tooling for decorative effect. Construction techniques
included deep foundations on bedrock, especially near the cliffs, and
the use of scaffolding for high towers. The drum towers' semi-circular
design distributed weight evenly, while vaulted ceilings in cellars
provided structural support. Later additions used timber framing for
roofs (slate-covered) and lead for conduits. Defensive elements like
arrow slits and machicolations were integrated during the 14th-century
phase, reflecting advanced medieval engineering.
Notable Features
and Historical Modifications
Skipton Castle is a Grade I listed
building and Scheduled Ancient Monument, open year-round with guided
tours exploring its 900-year history. Features include the medieval
banqueting hall, chapel, and Lady Anne's yew tree. It hosts events and
remains a symbol of Yorkshire's heritage.
Current State as a
Preserved Site
Skipton Castle remains remarkably intact, with fully
roofed structures and accessible interiors, unlike many ruined
contemporaries. Managed as a visitor attraction, it draws over 100,000
tourists annually, offering self-guided tours, a tea room, and events.
The site is Grade I listed, with ongoing maintenance preserving its
fabric. The chapel terrace provides views over the town, and the
castle's completeness allows visitors to experience medieval life
vividly, from the dungeon to the banqueting hall.