Heighley Castle

SJ 74 NE 2/52 17/11/66

MADELEY C.P. HEIGHLEY LANE Heighley Castle (formerly listed as Heighley Castle Ruins)

II

Castle, remains of. Medieval, probably mainly early C13. Only fragments of walling survive, dressed sandstone and uncoursed rubble with facing removed; traces of curtain wall all round site but best preserved on lower south end of motte platform, where there is a section of retaining wall (dressed stone) approximately 8m high by 15m long and a small fragment, perhaps the remains of a tower. Another substantial piece of walling, about 6m high and 5m long, to north-west. The main entrance seems to have been on the west, where there is a well-preserved, partly stone crevetted causeway across the deep rock-cut ditch. What appears to be unauthorised excavation (Summer 1984) by the curtain wall on the south-east has revealed a dressed stone wall(probably part of an entrance) with the corbelled springing of a vault. Well is marked on the Ordnance Survey map, but no trace of it now survives. Impressive earthworks; steep-sided ovalshaped motte surrounded on all sides (except south-east, where defences rely on natural slope) by deep rock-cut ditch with outer bank. The castle was begun by Henry de Audley in 1233. Spectacularly situated and commanding extensive views over surrounding countryside, the ruins are overgrown at the time of re-survey (1984). Scheduled Ancient Monument. V.C.H., I (1908),p. 352.

Listing NGR: SJ7724346696