Middleham Castle

Middleham Castle is a ruined castle dating from the 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th centuries, constructed of ashlar and rubble. The castle’s prominent feature is a large rectangular keep from the 1170s, which still stands to its full height and was originally divided internally to form a Hall and Great Chamber on the first floor, once accessed by an external staircase. A chapel annexe was added in the late 13th century. The curtain wall, also dating to the 12th and 13th centuries, has an irregular layout with angle towers, including a round tower on the south-west known as the Prince's Tower. A 14th-century gatehouse is situated to the north-east, featuring diagonal turrets, machicolations above the segmental-arched opening, and a single-chamfered rib-vault internally. Living and service ranges were added alongside three sides of the curtain wall during the 14th and 15th centuries. From 1270, the castle was owned by the Nevill family of Raby. Anne Nevill married Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who later became Richard II, in 1470, and in 1473 their only child, Edward, was reportedly born in the Prince's Tower. Subsequently, the Nevill property reverted to the Crown. The castle is designated as an Ancient Monument and is known from records like the Victoria County History.