The latter had... Our experts can answer your tough homework and study questions. This made it more awkward for enemies to see what was up ahead and gave the defending swordsmen more room to fight. Richmond Castle is a massive fortress built on a rocky promontory, towering over the bubbling river Swale far below. The town now relies almost completely on tourism, still benefitting from it's proximity to the ever popular Yorkshire Dales National Park and more immediately Swaledale (Fig. Didn’t see any when we walked the Cotswolds in 2014. Over the following 200 years the town increased in size, and more people began living just outside the castle walls to the north. I have never heard of plague towers – I don’t think we have them in the UK – I need to check! As if to emphasise this, the castle has features normally found in an abbey or a cathedral. You’re obviously not too familiar with the area if you think he had many choices of route once the A66 was closed………… I feel his pain. The Keep was built by Conan 'the little', who also constructed the barbican, replaced the wooden palisade on the southern flank with a stone wall and fortified the cockpit (Fig. Probably begun in the 1070s by Alan Rufus, who had fought at the Battle of Hastings, it was expanded in the 12th century by his great-nephew Conan, who built the keep. Scolland's Hall - Showing holes for the beams to support the first floor and large arched Norman windows, Figure 4. With thanks to Bob Troupe – but it works quite well the other way too. In 1215 the north of England revolted against John, who subdued it in a rapid campaign. The roof of the basement, unlike others, was built of stone in order to provide protection from fire, help support the rest of the keep and to help keep food cool. Briefly, Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout Movement, was officer in command. “I used to work in the nuclear industry”, he proudly informed me. The works of JMW Turner and other artists in the late 18th and early 19th centuries greatly encouraged admiration of the castle as a romantic ruin, and the town became a fashionable place for tourists to visit. Although Geoffrey and Constance married in 1181, the castle remained in royal hands until the end of King John’s reign in 1216. I like the idea that something was built for pleasure and beauty, not power. No Count Alan Rufus (the Red) was granted vast lands in the north following his service to William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. One notable visitor to Richmond was the famous landscape painter William Turner (anon. Before falling into disrepair it held numerous important prisoners and changed ownership on a regular basis. History of Richmond Castle. Richmond Castle is unusual in that it is an early Norman fortress built in stone, whereas stone did not become common until well into the 12th century. [19] In spite of these reports, it is clear that part of the castle was still being used. All rights reserved. 2004, n/a), drawn by the romantic ruins of the castle and the river with it's beautiful waterfalls (Fig. The keep is impressive, too – though you have to fight the pigeons and their products. The only recorded works were undertaken in 1250 by Henry III and by Edward I after 1294. AP World History Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, High School US History Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Middle School World History Curriculum Resource & Lesson Plans, Middle School US History Curriculum Resource & Lesson Plans, AP European History Syllabus Resource & Lesson Plans, Western Civilization to 1648 for Teachers: Professional Development, Short Stories for Kids: Guide for Teachers & Parents, Biological and Biomedical In so doing he combined two vast inheritances of Brittany (then effectively an independent principality) and Richmond. The original gatehouse is still mainly intact, although a large number of alterations have subsequently been made. The castle’s owners also maintained an interest in the town. was known as Riche Monte to the Normans, which translates as 'strong hill'. In the 16th century, expensive glass was imported from northern Europe to refurbish the chapel within Robin Hood Tower, though it is not certain when this, too, was abandoned. Today Very little of what can now be seen is actually the original structure, as a lot has been added since, including the Keep itself which was only built in the late 12th century. This was a military unit in which men who had asked for exemption from military service could contribute to the war effort in non-combatant roles. Yes – every visit is a potential adventure! As for the A66, I often use it when planning to motor west, because it’s my way and the highway that’s the best. It was originally called Riche Mount, 'the strong hill'. The Rough Guide describes the town as 'an absolute gem'. The castle remained in this condition for the next 300 years. A kinsman of William the Conqueror, Alan had commanded the Breton contingent of the Norman army at the Battle of Hastings. man had a point: Richmond wasn’t built only to be strong. Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries the fortunes of Richmond Castle were bound up with a long-running international dynastic dispute. At the front, town-facing, side of the keep, which once looked over an outer barbican wall, are three ornamental windows.