Richmond Castle

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The 12th century Keep is 100 feet high

The Castle walls and towers seen from the Keep

Richmond Castle in North Yorkshire, England, stands in a breathtaking position above the River Swale, close to the centre of the town of Richmond. It was constructed in 1071 as part of the Norman Conquest of England and as a direct result of the slaughter of the Norman garrison at York in 1069 by English dissenters.

William the Conqueror put down the 1069 rebellion in the "harrying of the North" and as a punishment divided out the lands of north Yorkshire among his most loyal followers. Alan de Ponthievre (Alan the Red) of Brittany received the borough of Richmond for his part in the victory over King Harold at Hastings in 1066 and began constructing the castle to defend against further attacks from the north. The original castle had a French keep (Scolland's Hall) but this was superseded by a 100-foot-high keep constructed at the end of the 12th century by Conan the Little and completed by King Henry II. This keep, which has stood the test of time very well, was constructed on solid rock and has a very robust design with 11-foot-thick walls. It was built solely for military needs, as Scolland's Hall was retained for living quarters in the south part of the castle. Today's visitors can climb to the top of the keep for magnificent views of the town of Richmond.

At the same time that the new keep was built, Henry II considerably strengthened the castle by adding walls, towers and a barbican. Richmond Castle has remained quite well-preserved over the centuries because it never saw any serious military conflict and because it was built almost entirely of stone. (Local stone was abundant and within proximity.)

The castle gradually fell into decay over the centuries. However, it became the headquarters of the North Yorkshire Militia in 1855, with a military barracks constructed in the great court yard. The castle was used extensively during the First World War, primarily as the base of the Non-Combat Corps made up of conscientious objectors. The barracks in the great court yard were destroyed in 1935 but the castle was still used by the army in the Second World War.

Today the castle is looked after by English Heritage.