SCARBOROUGH CASTLE

North Riding of Yorkshire

Scarborough Castle dominates the most archetypical seaside town in England, arguably the home of the 'dirty postcard' (although residents of Blackpool might argue that point!).

The Castle was the site of an Iron Age Hill Fort and a Roman Signal Station long before William le Gros, Count of Aumale built a Castle here during the Anarchy.  It was one of the few Anarchy Castles which has survived in such good condition to the present day.

William built the curtain wall during his time as Earl of York, but after King Stephen's reign Henry II took the Castle off William as he considered it too strong.  Henry then built the inevitable great keep.  King John added greatly to the walls and Edward III added the Gatehouse and Barbican.

The Castle suffered an astonishing number of sieges.  The first was when Piers Gaveston, the homosexual and extravagant 'favourite' of Edward II took refuge here.  He was starved out and taken to Warwick where he was summarily executed - leading to the eventual overthrow and murder of Edward II at Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire.

The second siege came in 1318 when the Scots sacked the town.  A third during the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536.  The fourth, the first which was successful, was during the protests at Queen Mary's marriage to Philip of Spain in 1557.

The fifth and sixth sieges were the most important and took part during the Civil War.  The fifth siege lasted an incredible 18 months, ending in August 1645 when the garrison were allowed to surrender with full honours.  The nearby Church (which today is famed as the final resting place of Anne Brontë) was used as a redoubt by the Roundheads and was smashed to smithereens during the siege.  In 1648 the Roundhead governor of the Castle abruptly swapped sides and the sixth siege began.

This took just four months and, taking no chances, the keep was severely slighted afterwards - leaving only half of it standing - making the keep very reminiscent of that at Helmsley which received much the same treatment.

As if this wasn't enough the Castle was bombarded from the sea by the German Fleet in 1914.

That anything at all is left of Scarborough Castle is amazing - that it occupies a site so breathtaking is an added bonus to one of Yorkshire's most rewarding ruins in one of its most rewarding towns.

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2001