Spofforth Castle, Ruins

Spofforth Castle is a ruin of a fortified house that dates back to the 13th century, with significant rebuilding occurring in the 14th and 15th centuries. The structure is made of coursed sandstone and ashlar, featuring two storeys on the north side and a single storey on the south, built against a rock outcrop. The castle has six bays, with a first-floor hall and a solar above, along with undercrofts and kitchens. There is a stair turret located at the north-west corner. The entrance to the undercroft is at the north end of the west side, with rock-cut steps leading down from the centre of the east side. The windows include trefoil-pointed arches and some with plate tracery. Notable architectural features include a chamfered plinth, a continuous drip mould at the first-floor level, and buttresses with offsets. The pointed stone roof of the stair turret is topped with a finial. Inside the undercroft, there are bases of octagonal piers and a rock-cut doorway. Spofforth Castle is also designated as a scheduled Ancient Monument. For a more detailed description, refer to R J A Bennett et al's 'Spofforth Castle', published by HMSO in 1965.