A big ruined castle on the edge of Helmsley, its great tower split open when Parliament's army wrecked it after the Civil War
Open to visitorsan English Heritage site — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
What catches the eye at Helmsley is the tall east tower, sheared clean down one side so you can see straight into its rooms, the result of deliberate wrecking rather than slow decay. The castle began as an earthwork stronghold and was rebuilt in stone from around 1200 by the de Ros family, who held Helmsley for generations, and it is ringed by deep ditches cut into the rock that are impressive in their own right. During the Civil War a Royalist garrison held out here through a long siege in 1644 before surrendering to Parliament’s general Sir Thomas Fairfax; afterwards the castle was slighted — deliberately broken so it could never be defended again — which is how the tower came to be split open. A Tudor mansion range along one side, added when the castle became a comfortable home, still stands roofed. English Heritage looks after the ruins today. They sit on the edge of Helmsley in the North York Moors, with the Cleveland Way passing close and the ruins of Rievaulx Abbey a few miles west.
More at the National Heritage List entry
