Skipton is a gorgeous little castle to visit and feels almost like a home, probably because it is still used as a private residence. It has some lovely stories associated with it and is well preserved, with lots of interior rooms to see.
Visiting Skipton Castle
Skipton castle is well signposted and there is plenty of parking in the nearby High Street car park when you visit. For some reason the information on the rooms is mostly given on a piece of paper you receive with your entrance ticket. Proper information boards would help, both with navigation and learning about the rooms. There is a small tea room in the castle grounds.
My Experience
We had a lovely time walking around the castle. The rooms are all roofed and well preserved, although they are also mostly empty and lack furnishings. In some ways this is a good thing as it gives you hints on construction and also allows you to see the stone decorations and embellishments.
The castle courtyard is one of the most romantic and peaceful places I have visited in the UK, dominated by the yew tree and surrounded by windows. This was planted by the indomitable Lady Anne Clifford in 1659 when she restored the castle from its Civil War slighting, although the walls and roof had to be made in a way that was unable to support cannon.
We didn’t get to cross the canal and view the cliffside location of the castle as I was too distracted by a cafe! The walk through Skipton Castle Woods is meant to show the tactical positioning of the castle in a different light to the manicured front entrance and is on our list for the next visit.
Our visit in 2008 (the very poor photos at the end of the gallery, included a river trip the went past the castle. It was only a short cruise but it was lovely to see the castle from a side that would normally be missed.
Skipton Castle Photo Gallery
These next photos were taken in the dim and distant past of 2008 and they were not taken in RAW so these are pretty much unedited jpgs. I’d like to think my own skill in photography has moved on since then too so these may not be ideal pictures. Sorry!
History
Skipton Castle was established soon after William I’s ‘Harrying of the North’, a brutal campaign conducted in 1069/70 to suppress opposition to Norman rule in Northern England. The initial fortification was built by Robert de Romille and was located on the former Roman road between Ribchester and York, a key route through the otherwise inaccessible Pennines. The precise form of this early castle is unclear due to substantial later modifications but it was probably an earth and timber ringwork-and-bailey fort. It had strong natural defences on the north and north-west where a steep natural scarp and rock-face descended to the Eller Beck.
The castle’s strategic location meant it regularly became embroiled in the Anglo-Scottish wars of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries and it was rebuilt in stone comparatively early. During this time Skipton passed through the descendants of Robert de Romille but frequently via the female line resulting in its ownership by numerous families – de Meshines, FitzDuncan, le Gros, de Mandeville and de Forz. The final owner from Romille’s line was Aveline de Forz who married Edmund Crouchback, younger son of Henry III. She died in 1274 without an heir and therefore the castle was taken into Royal ownership.
In 1307 Edward II granted Skipton Castle to his unpopular favourite, Piers Gaveson, but three years later he was captured, tried and executed by the Earls of Lancaster and Warwick. The castle reverted to the Crown once more and in 1310 was granted to Robert, Lord Clifford. He owned numerous properties in neighbouring Westmorland, including Appleby and Brough castles, which gave him control of the Eden valley, whilst Skipton enabled him to extend his influence east to cover the main route towards York. He commissioned the six drum towers of the Inner Ward although his death at the Battle of Bannockburn (1314) almost certainly means he never saw them completed.
Throughout the fifteenth century the Clifford family were strong supporters of the Lancastrian monarchs. John Clifford had fought in Henry V’s continental campaigns and was present at the Battle of Agincourt (1415). His son, Thomas, served as representative of Henry VI in Scotland but was killed fighting for the King during the first battle of St Albans (1455). His son, John, sought revenge and at the Battle of Wakefield (1460) it was allegedly Clifford himself who killed Richard, Duke of York. His victory was short-lived for John himself was killed the following year at the Battle of Towton. Thereafter Skipton was confiscated by the Yorkist King Edward IV and granted to William Stanley. He exchanged it for Chirk Castle with Skipton passing to Richard, Duke of Gloucester (later Richard III). The young Henry Clifford, now deposed, was sent into hiding in Threlkeld until the Tudor victory at the Battle of Bosworth Field (1485) which saw his estates and titles restored. Once back in possession he made Skipton Castle his main seat but missed his rural upbringing so much he built Barden Tower. This earned him the title of the Shepherd Lord.
The Cliffords prospered under the new Tudor regime and in 1525 the then owner of Skipton – Henry Clifford – was made Earl of Cumberland by Henry VIII. To reflect his new status he made numerous modifications to the castle including adding the Long Galley and the Octagonal tower in 1535. These upgrades transformed it from fortress to palace but, upon the outbreak of the Civil War in 1642, it was hastily re-fortified and garrisoned for the King. It was besieged by a Parliamentary force under Colonel John Lambert in December 1642 but wasn’t taken. Even following the Royalist defeat at the Battle of Marston Moor (1644), which saw Parliament become dominant in the north, Skipton Castle remained defiant. Only in December 1645 did the garrison finally succumb. However, in 1648 the Second Civil War broke out and Royalists forces once again reoccupied Skipton Castle. This time Parliament resolved to destroy the castle and ordered it to be slighted.
After the wars the castle’s owner – Lady Anne Clifford – took back possession of the ruined structure. She commenced a wholesale rebuilding in 1657 although she was required to ensure that the rebuilt defences were cosmetic rather than functional and accordingly the upper walls and roof were deliberately weakened to make them unable to support cannon. Lady Anne also built the elaborate Gatehouse at this time. When she died in 1676, without leaving a male heir, the castle passed out of the Clifford family.
References
The history above is copied from the excellent castles, forts battles site here.
There is a nice feature on the castle in the Yorkshire Reporter here.
The castle website with full visiting information is here.