Photo: Bolton Castle by Bob Weyker, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Bolton Castle stands in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales, a quadrangular fortress begun in 1379.
It gave its name to the village of Castle Bolton that grew up beside it.
The castle has never been sold and remains in the hands of the family that built it over six centuries ago.
Visitors can climb the towers, walk the medieval gardens and watch falconry displays that run through the season.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
Richard le Scrope, Lord Chancellor of England, was granted licence to crenellate the site in 1379 and construction ran on for close to twenty years. During the Civil War the castle was besieged and later partly slighted by Parliamentary forces, though much of the structure survived intact. It has passed down through the Scrope family ever since, without ever changing hands by sale.
Architecture
The castle is built to a compact quadrangular plan with a tower at each corner, a design associated with late 14th-century English fortified residences. It is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Worth knowing
Mary, Queen of Scots was held at Bolton Castle for around six months in 1568 and 1569 during her imprisonment in England, and the castle's Mary Garden and Mary Queen of Scots Experience mark the connection today.
Gardens & grounds
The grounds include several themed gardens among them a rose garden, a herb garden, a small vineyard and maze, all developed within the castle's medieval walls.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Redmire (Wensleydale Railway) (0.9 miles)
Nearby properties
Holy Trinity Church, Wensley
View Holy Trinity Church, Wensley on heritage mapHoly Trinity Church, Coverham
View Holy Trinity Church, Coverham on heritage mapMiddleham Castle
View Middleham Castle on heritage mapRichmond Castle
View Richmond Castle on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Bolton Castle there are 1 historic properties, including 1 church.
Within 10 miles of Bolton Castle there are 4 historic properties, including 2 churchs, across Churches Conservation Trust, English Heritage and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Bolton Castle there are 23 historic properties, including 8 historic buildings, 5 historic houses and 4 churchs, across English Heritage, Historic Houses and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Facts
A 14th-century fortress still owned by the family who built it, and once a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots.
- Type
- castle
- Location
- North Yorkshire, England
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