Richmond Castle
Richmond Castle by Bill Harrison, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
Monday 01 July
Depart: Parkinson Steps: 13.00
Arrive: Parkinson Steps: 19.00
Price: £45.00
Richmond Castle is among the oldest castles in northern England. It was built for Alan rufus (d. 1093), a cousin of William the Conqueror, as the primary castle of what was to become the Honour of Richmond. The castle is unusual for the significant remains of its great hall and chamber complex (1080s), the castle’s primary phase being largely of stone. However, Richmond is perhaps better-known for its mid-12th-century great tower, surviving to full elevation at the highest part of the castle. This second phase of the castle’s history forms part of a larger reordering. A major component of this related to the planned settlement of Richmond, arrayed adjacent to the fortification and whose outline, in the form of street plan, survives today. It is only in the 20th century that the last inhabitants of the castle were moved to more suitable accommodations and the living history of Richmond Castle finally ended.
In 2019 English Heritage, who care for the castle, completed a project to re-present the castle to the public. This tour will describe the content and rationale of the new interpretation material (both on-site and in the castle museum), as well as examine key features of the castle’s architecture and the results of recent archaeological excavations. It will examine areas of the castle including the great tower, the chapel of St Nicholas, Scolland’s Hall and the adjacent chambers. The tour will also visit the site museum which houses collections associated with the castle’s history.
The guide for this excursion is William Wyeth (English Heritage), who worked on the recent project to re-present the castle to the public.
For more information on Richmond Castle, please visit https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/richmond-castle/history-and-stories/