Bolton Castle

Bolton Castle - Photo © MGSpiller, 28 May 2007

Bolton Castle Courtyard - Photo © MGSpiller, 28 May 2007

Bolton Castle - Photo © MGSpiller, 28 May 2007

Bolton Castle in North Yorkshire, is located in Wensleydale in the Yorkshire Dales. The nearby settlement Castle Bolton takes its name from the castle. The castle is a Grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

The castle

It was built between 1378 and 1399 by Richard le Scrope, Lord Chancellor, and is an example of a quadrangular castle. The castle is still owned by the descendants of the Scrope family and is a tourist attraction. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War, but much of it remains. Mary, Queen of Scots, was held for six months in the castle.

Construction of Bolton Castle


Bolton Castle, North Yorkshire - Photo ©
andrew j w, 16 March 2008

Construction was reputed to cost 18000 Marks. The licence to build it was granted in July 1379. A contract with the mason Johan Lewyn was made in September 1378. Leland described 'An Astronomical Clock' in the courtyard. He also described how smoke was conveyed from the hearth in the hall through tunnels. Bolton was described by Sir Francis Knollys as having 'The highest walls of any house he had seen'.

Use in film

Several movies and television productions have used the site as a location including Ivanhoe, Elizabeth, Heartbeat, and All Creatures Great and Small.

The grounds

There is a garden and a vineyard on the site in addition to the castle.

References

• Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3