Helmsley Castle

Guarding the Rye Valley, this early 13th century castle is surrounded by a formidable double ditch cut from solid rock. The founder of nearby Rievaulx Abbey is believed to have had a castle on this site at the beginning of the 12th century, but it was the 'de Roos' family who developed Helmsley Castle over the next three centuries.

Roughly oblong in plan, the inner bailey is enclosed by a curtain wall, now only standing to a low level, and guarded by an arrangement of circular and semi-circular towers. The south barbican provided access to the inner bailey, and was constructed as an outer gatehouse flanked by two cylindrical towers. From inside the barbican the typically 13th century open-backed towers can be best observed. Now largely ruinous, the south gate still shows the slot for the portcullis on the west side. To the north of the inner bailey, only the basement levels of the two gate towers remain, and beyond that the north barbican formed an outer gate, also flanked by cylindrical towers.

Mid-way along the east curtain wall, the D-shaped East Tower (most probably the Keep), first constructed towards the end of the 12th century and later altered, clearly displays a joining line between the original stone and the later sandstone upper levels. Although the curved wall of the tower has been destroyed, and the internal layout of the building is impossible to determine, the remaining walls have survived to a good height, including the additional turrets.

During the Civil War Helmsley Castle suffered a three month siege before finally surrending to the parliamentary forces. As a result, Helmsley Castle was severely slighted - the fate of so many of these great castles throughout the 17th century. However, the Tudor mansion, built adjacent to the West Tower of the castle, has survived substantially as first constructed. Throughout Helmsley Castle much evidence exists from all phases of building and alteration, from the early earthworks around the inner bailey to the first stone structure, the later strengthening of the entrances, and the grand Elizabethan remodelling of the west range. Apart from the spectacular earthworks, little else remains for the visitor to gain an impression of the wonderful combination of strength and domestic comfort that once existed here at Helmsley Castle.