Ruin
Middleham Castle
ENG England · 12th century
Middleham Castle is a ruined castle in Middleham in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. The castle was the childhood home of King Richard III, although he spent very little of his reign there. The castle was built to defend the road from Richmond to Skipton, though some have suggested the original site of the castle was far better to achieve this than the later location. After the death of King Richard III the castle remained in royal hands until it was allowed to go to ruin in the 17th century. Many of the stones from the castle were used in other buildings in the village of Middleham.
Text adapted from “Middleham Castle” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Middleham Castle ranks #1,231 of 7,738 worldwide in the atlas's castle fame ranking, and #84 of the 329 mapped in England. Founded 1190, it is older than 80% of the atlas's dated landmarks — one of 544 atlas entries founded in the 12th century. Its Wikipedia articles were opened 3,943 times in the last 60 days, more than 80% of the atlas. 2 more atlas landmarks stand within 25 km. The nearest day-trip guide is Sunderland, 74 km away. See how England compares in the castle statistics.
View on the interactive castle map →Frequently asked questions
Where is Middleham Castle?
Middleham Castle stands in England, at 54.28404°, -1.80685°.
When was Middleham Castle built?
The atlas dates its founding to 1190. Earlier structures may have stood on the site; this is the earliest documented founding year.
How famous is Middleham Castle?
In this atlas's fame ranking: #1,231 of 7,738 worldwide, and #84 in England. Fame here combines how many Wikipedia language editions cover a landmark with how many people read them.
What is the nearest castle to Middleham Castle?
Bolton Castle, about 10 km away.
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