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Conisbrough Castle

11th-century establishments in England11th-century fortificationsBuildings and structures in the Metropolitan Borough of DoncasterCastles in South YorkshireConisbrough
Edward IV of EnglandEnglish Heritage sites in South YorkshireGrade I listed buildings in South YorkshireGrade I listed castlesGrade I listed ruinsHistoric house museums in South YorkshireRichard of York, 3rd Duke of YorkRuined castles in EnglandRuins in South YorkshireScheduled monuments in South YorkshireTourist attractions in DoncasterUse British English from March 2020
ConisbroughCastle
ConisbroughCastle

Conisbrough Castle is a medieval fortification in Conisbrough, South Yorkshire, England. The castle was initially built in the 11th century by William de Warenne, the Earl of Surrey, after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. Hamelin Plantagenet, the illegitimate, parvenu brother of Henry II, acquired the property by marriage in the late 12th century. Hamelin and his son William rebuilt the castle in stone, including its prominent 28-metre (92 ft)-high keep. The castle remained in the family line into the 14th century, despite being seized several times by the Crown. The fortification was then given to Edmund of Langley, passing back into royal ownership in 1461. Conisbrough Castle fell into ruin, its outer wall badly affected by subsidence, and was given to the Carey family in the 16th century. Its derelict state prevented it from involvement in the English Civil War of the 17th century and the remains were bought by the Duke of Leeds in 1737. Sir Walter Scott used the location for his 1819 novel Ivanhoe and by the end of the 19th century the ruins had become a tourist attraction. The state took over the management of the property in 1950, but by the 1980s the visitor facilities were felt to be unsuitable, leading to a three-way partnership being created between the local council, the state agency English Heritage and a local charitable trust to develop the castle. The keep was re-roofed and re-floored in the 1990s with the help of European Union funding. English Heritage took over control of the castle in 2008 and continues to operate the property as a tourist attraction. The castle is made up of an inner and an outer bailey, the former surrounded by a stone curtain wall defended by six mural or fortified towers and the castle keep. The inner bailey would have included a hall, solar, chapel and other service buildings of which only the foundations survive. The design of Conisbrough's keep is unique in England, and the historians Oliver Creighton and Stephen Johnson consider it an "architectural gem" and "one of the finest examples of late Norman defensive architecture". The keep comprises a circular central tower with six massive buttresses; its four floors would have included a main chamber and a private chamber for the lord above it. Although militarily weak, the design would have been a powerful symbol of Hamelin Plantagenet's new social status as a major lord.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Conisbrough Castle (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Conisbrough Castle
Dale Road, Doncaster

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N 53.484166666667 ° E -1.2263888888889 °
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Conisbrough Castle

Dale Road
DN12 3BU Doncaster
England, United Kingdom
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english-heritage.org.uk

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ConisbroughCastle
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St Peter's Church, Conisbrough
St Peter's Church, Conisbrough

St Peter's Church is a parish church in Conisbrough, in South Yorkshire, in England. The core of the church is believed to be 8th-century, based on similarities with Northumbrian churches known to date from this period. If this date is accurate, it is the oldest building in South Yorkshire. Historian David Hey argues that it was a minster church, forming the centre of a large, early parish, covering all or much of the 11th-century Fee of Conisbrough. From this early period survives much of the stonework of the tower and nave, including some windows, most of which were later blocked. Part of a 10th-century cross shaft has been discovered, and the church is recorded in the Domesday Book as having a single priest. In the 12th century, aisles were added, and the chancel arch and south door also date from this period, as does a tomb chest in the south aisle. Rita Wood argues that the tomb is for William de Warenne, 3rd Earl of Surrey, who died in 1148, as it depicts battles and themes from The Song of Roland. The piscina and a cross slab in the north aisle are 13th-century. The church was next remodelled in the 14th century, from which time the present south aisle dates. In the 15th century, the tower was refaced, and a south porch and clerestory added. Many of the windows also date from this time. The north aisle was rebuilt in 1866, and there was a general restoration, followed by another later in the century, and in the 20th century, the porch was restored. The church is a grade I listed building.