KILTON CASTLE

North Riding of Yorkshire

If it was a little less overgrown the ruins and situation of Kilton Castle would be quite spectacular.  It stands on a precipitous spur of land over Kilton Beck and the ruins are quite extensive.  However, it is being poorly neglected and it is difficult to make out the shape of the building.  The history of the Castle is equally obscured, a square Norman keep seems to have formed the heart of the Castle, with attendant walls being added over the ensuing 200 years or so.

In the 13th century the Thweng family owned the property and they added the Tower (pictured above) which stands at the end of the spur of land and is the largest surviving part of the structure. The Castle was passed to the Ringrose-Wharton family whose descendants own the land to this day, but they appear to have little interest in the Castle.

Two sets of excavations were understaken, first in the 1920s and then between 1967 and 1969 under Dr. Alan Aberg of the University of Leeds. At this time consolidation work rescued the Castle from falling further into disrepair.

Kilton Castle was briefly in the county of Cleveland and is today in one of those strange "metropolitan" counties; so all in all it is best left where it belongs in Yorkshire's North Riding.

The Castle is on private land, but permission can generally be gained from the farmhouse at the Castle's approach.

Back to Castles of the North Riding

© Text copyright - Raving Loony Productions, Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
© Photos and Artwork - Andrew J. Müller and Roy Barton
© Web Design and Layout - Andrew J. Müller
2018