Knaresborough Castle (located in Yorkshire and not far from Harrogate) probably started construction in 1066, and it was extended in the 1200s by King John. He used it as a hunting base when he wanted to hunt in the Forest of Knaresborough. The ruined structure seen today actually dates from the 1300s, and this was built by King Edward II. Upon his death, it went to Queen Phillipa, and she spent a lot of time here. Some of her possessions are in the museum next to the castle.
The castle is currently owned by the Queen. It was under Royalist control during the Civil War, but it had to surrender to Cromwell in the 1640s. Cromwell planned to destroy it, but it was saved because the townspeople of Knaresborough asked for it to be kept to be used as a prison. I'm glad this happened because so many castles were completely destroyed by Cromwell.
The ruins, courthouse next door (which doubles as the museum), and underground tunnels can be visited.
When entering the castle from the Market Place and High Street of Knaresborough, we were welcomed by the old gated entrance to the castle. On the ground in front of the gate are historical moments in the history of the castle, from the first fortification built around 1066 to its extension in the 1200s, to Queen Phillipa living here in the 1300s after King Edward II passed away, and to its partial destruction and surrender in the Civil War.
From the gates, the castle grounds can be walked across. It's just flat grassland now, and the two structures are the courthouse and the ruin of the castle. The ruin is called "King's Tower" and makes up only a small part of the historic castle. It was a fortified residential area. Part of this tower can be climbed to visit the garderobe, and a dungeon is below.
This arch is the remains of a room, and it is though this was a waiting area for people who wanted to visit with the king.
We had a quick visit of the tower. The dungeon area had stone balls on display, and these could have been catapulted at enemies or placed on the tower chutes to roll down to crush people. We also saw pieces of stone with carved letters on them.
The garderrobe could also be visited. Clothes would have been stored here to keep the moths away. The garderobes could be breached by sending up a small boy up the chute to open the door. The garderobes also had to be cleaned every now and then, and someone was paid to do it.
The grounds of the castle were beautiful and planted with spring flowers. From here, a wonderful view over the River Nidd can be enjoyed.
The eastern sallyport (underground tunnels) can be visited on a guided tour for a small cost, and I believe that tours run roughly each hour. There's also a western sallyport, but these cannot be visited. The tunnels are located in the castle grounds, and a tunnel descends through the earth and exits on the outside of the walls and into the moat. We were told that the tunnels was built so that a quick escape could be made on horseback, although I am not sure if there would really have been enough room for this. The exit on the other side of the castle walls was not suspecting because this was a dirty place where the waste and rotting items would be discarded.
In addition to quick escapes, the sallyports could also be used for men to leave in the night to attack unsuspecting enemies.
The museum located in the courthouse was well worth a visit and covered a variety of topics and showed many items on display. One exhibit was the interior of how the courthouse looked in Tudor times. This is also the oldest part of the building, and the courthouse dates to 1600s.
Information about local famous residents, such as Guy Fawkes, 'Blind Jack', and Mother Shipton, could also be read. Queen Phillipa's belongings, such as a chest, can also be seen.
Knaresborough Castle and the museum are well worth a visit for the fascinating information and displays.
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