Skipton Castle - North Yorkshire

Distance	10 miles from Haworth
Travel time by car	About 35 mins
Location	Skipton Castle, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23 1AQ Tel:01756 792442 N53° 57. 847 W002° 00. 917 Map here... About Skipton here...
Elevation	515ft
Date visited	31/08/2004
Length of visit	2hrs
Opening times	As of January 2009: Open daily from 10am (Sunday 12 noon), except for 25 December. Last admission is at 6pm (October - February 4pm).
Website	www.skiptoncastle.co.uk
Prices	As of January 2009: Adults: £5.80 Children (5-17): £3.20 Children under 5: free Over 60s and students: £5.20 Family Ticket for two adults and up to 3 children over 5: £17.90 (saves up to £3.30). Guides are available for pre-booked parties at no extra cost (reduced rate of £4.80 per head for adult parties of 15 or more).

The history of Skipton castle can be traced back to about 1090 when Robert de Romille built a timber fort on the site. This was replaced with a stone castle, in 1310 the Clifford family were given the property by Edward II.

During the Civil War of 1642-51 the castle was under siege for three years from Oliver Cromwell and his Parliamentary forces until 1645 when a surrender was negotiated. In 1648 they reoccupied the castle and set about demolishing the castles defenses.

In the 1650's Lady Anne Clifford was allowed to restore the castle on the condition that the upper walls were thinner and the roof was not made strong enough to support cannon. The rainwater gutters have the family arms and the year 1659 which was the date the castle was restored.

The Cliffords' used the castle until 1676. Today their banner flies from the castle with approval from the present Lord Clifford of Chudleigh.

The castle is built around a courtyard. The Yew tree was planted as a sapling in 1659 by Lady Anne Clifford upon completion of the restoration of the castle.

There is a free guide which explains the best way to explore the castle, it also means you follow a route in the same direction which is helpful as some of the passageways are narrow.

Your Reviews:

im thinking of visiting skipton castle next month , can anyone tell me what its like inside ? is it just a shell or does it have rooms with furniture and paintings and the like , none of the photos on the web show the inside of the castle . thanks , john
17/01/2010

when is there a free day i kive in skipton but never heard of that
11/12/2008

i love skipton castle, I live in skipton now and once a year you can go for free so I always go then! :D
15/11/2008

it is a very good castle and when was it built?
17/12/2007

I think Skipton Castle is Great!
04/12/2007

what are the main difference between the medieval and the tudor building?
25/03/2007

Who owns Skipton Castle now?
26/07/2006

i love skipton castle its amasing! <3 kate
28/02/2006

when was skipton castle built? thanks will someone please answer this

23/02/2006

know is spelt k-n-o-w

and the normans built it
01/02/2006

I want to now who made the castle?

10/11/2005

skipton is one of the most beautiful castles in england.

07/11/2005

Skipton castle is the best castle i have been 4 times and still want to back again.
15/04/2005

skipton catle is one of the most best castles i have ever been to the castle has alot of information about it and the best places ever seen in a castle
06/04/2005

Skipton Castle is one of the most beautiful and well preserved castles ever.
05/02/2005

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Visiting Skipton Castle - North Yorkshire