Helmsley Castle is an impressive medieval ruin situated in the picturesque market town of Helmsley.
The spectacular ditches surrounding the fortress were created after 1120 for Water Espec, the Norman baron ‘of gigantic stature’ who also founded nearby Rievaulx Abbey. Within them Robert de Roos – crusader, Knight Templar and Magna Carta baron – and his descendants raised the stonework defences you see today, including the lofty east tower which still dominates the ruins and the town.
Following the castle’s only military trial, when its Civil War Royalist defenders were starved into submission after a 3 month siege, its ruins became a romantic ‘eye catcher’ for nearby Duncombe Park.
But Helmsley wasn’t only a fortress. In Elizabethan times its chamber block became a luxurious country house. You can still see some of its fine panelling and plasterwork, amid displays tracing the castle’s history as home as well as stronghold.
If you’re feeling active, walk from Helmsley Castle to Rievaulx Abbey. The walk is 2.8 miles.
