Qualla: Skipton Castle

Skipton Castle: Introduction

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Davegill70, CC BY-SA 3.0. A yew tree grows in the courtyard of Skipton Castle. Lady Anne Clifford planted it in 1659 to mark the castle's restoration after the English Civil War, and it has been growing there ever since -- a living monument to a woman who rebuilt what Cromwell's forces tried to destroy. The castle itself is older by centuries, founded in 1090 by the Norman baron Robert de Romille at the north end of what is now Skipton's High Street. It is one of the most complete medieval castles in England, with its roof fully intact, a rarity that owes everything to Lady Anne's stubborn determination.

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Image: Davegill70 | CC BY-SA 3.0

Skipton Castle: From Earth to Stone

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Cyberdemon007 at en.wikipedia, Public domain. Robert de Romille built the original castle as a motte and bailey -- earth and timber -- to secure his estates in the Yorkshire Dales. Shortly after 1102, Henry I extended his lands to encompass all of upper Wharfedale and Airedale, and the castle was rebuilt in stone to withstan...

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Image: Cyberdemon007 at en.wikipedia | Public domain

Skipton Castle: The Last Royalist Holdout

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Originally uploaded by MarcusBritish (Transferred by Hogweard), CC BY-SA 3.0. During the English Civil War, Skipton became the last Royalist stronghold in northern England. For three years, Parliamentary forces besieged the castle. According to local legend, the garrison hung sheep fleeces over the walls to absorb the impact of cannon fire -- an image that...

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Image: Originally uploaded by MarcusBritish (Transferred by Hogweard) | CC BY-SA 3.0

Skipton Castle: Lady Anne's Restoration

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Cavie78, Public domain. Lady Anne Clifford was 55 when the Civil War ended, and she spent the last three decades of her life restoring the castles and churches of her family's northern estates. At Skipton, she repaired everything Cromwell had broken. The castle's roof was replaced -- the reason it stand...

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Image: Cavie78 | Public domain

Skipton Castle: Nine Centuries Standing

Sat, 14 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit David Dixon, CC BY-SA 2.0. The Fattorini family purchased the castle in 1956, and it remains a private residence as well as a tourist attraction. Walking through the entrance that once held a drawbridge, up stairs added in the 16th century, visitors pass through rooms that span nearly a thousand years of c...

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Image: David Dixon | CC BY-SA 2.0