A massive Norman keep in Wensleydale, once a Neville power base and the boyhood home of Richard III
Open to visitorsan English Heritage site — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
The heart of Middleham is its keep — the great stone tower at the centre of a castle — and it is one of the largest in England, built by Robert FitzRanulph in the late 12th century. A ring of outer buildings and a curtain wall (the wall enclosing the courtyard) were added later, wrapping the keep in a comfortable fortified home. For much of the Middle Ages it belonged to the Neville family, among the most powerful in the north, and it was here that a young Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was sent to train in the household of the Earl of Warwick. He later held Middleham as his northern base after becoming Richard III, and his only legitimate son, Edward of Middleham, was born and died here. The castle fell out of use after the Civil War and is roofless now, but the walls stand high and you can climb through the keep and along the ranges. English Heritage looks after it. It sits at the edge of the little town, in the Yorkshire Dales, with the medieval St Mary and St Alkelda’s Church just up the road and the ruins of Jervaulx Abbey a short drive away down Wensleydale.
More at the National Heritage List entry
