Clitheroe Castle

Clitheroe Castle stands on a steep limestone outcrop thirty-nine metres above the River Ribble in Lancashire. The castle is a ruined early medieval fortress, once the centre of the vast Honour of Clitheroe that stretched along the Pennines. Its keep is the second smallest surviving stone-built keep in England, built by the de Lacy family in the twelfth century. The site commands wide views over the Ribble valley and the road that has passed below for centuries. A Roman road once ran just south of the castle, showing how long the place has guarded the pass. The natural rock formed the motte, while a surrounding wall enclosed the bailey. The castle’s history is tied to powerful families and national events. After the Normans took England, the de Lacys made Clitheroe their stronghold and built the keep. In 1138 a Scottish army defeated the English nearby, though the castle itself may have been the reason for the fight. During the Civil War Prince Rupert left a garrison here before the Battle of Marston Moor. Later the castle became a private home, then a war memorial after the First World War when the town bought it for £9,500. Repairs in the 19th and late 20th centuries saved the keep from collapse. Visitors find the castle ruins and the small stone keep still standing on the rock. The keep’s walls were refaced with local limestone and buttressed to keep it upright. Inside the bailey the remains of other buildings show where the steward once lived and worked. The site also houses Clitheroe Castle Museum, where displays tell the castle’s story. From the top the view stretches over the Ribble valley and the old road below. The castle’s modest size and dramatic setting make it a quiet but striking place to explore.