Richmond Castle
National iconOne of England's oldest stone castles, its great tower standing high above the River Swale at the top of Richmond
Open to visitorsan English Heritage site — check opening times and admission before you go
Substantial ruinsruined, but plenty survives above ground
Richmond Castle sits on a rocky spur right above the River Swale, at the edge of the old market town of Richmond. It is one of the earliest stone castles in England: Alan Rufus, a Breton lord rewarded by William the Conqueror, began building here not long after 1066, and much of the triangular curtain wall he threw up around the courtyard is still standing. Scolland’s Hall, in the corner, is among the oldest surviving great halls in the country.
The part everyone notices is the keep, the tall square tower over the gatehouse. That went up later, in the twelfth century, and you can still climb it for a long view over the town, the river and the mouth of Swaledale where it opens out towards the Yorkshire Dales. During the First World War the castle held conscientious objectors, the men who refused to fight, and some of the drawings they scratched and pencilled on their cell walls have been preserved.
English Heritage looks after the site now. It is a short, steep walk up from the cobbled marketplace, so you can easily fold it into a wander round Richmond itself. The Coast to Coast walk passes close by, and if you have time for more old stone, the riverside ruins of Easby Abbey are about a mile downstream and free to walk to along the Swale.
More at the National Heritage List entry
