Skipton castle is 900 years old and one of the most complete and best preserved castles in England.

The Clifford family were granted the castle by Edward II in 1310 when Robert Clifford was appointed first Lord Clifford of Skipton and Guardian of Craven, which is the large tract of countryside to the north and west of Skipton.  This remained the Cliffords’ principal seat until 1676.  The Clifford banner still flies over the castle with the approval of the present Lord Clifford of Chudleigh.

Twin Towered Gateway

The Family Crest

The Castle Keep

12 Comments CherryPie on Sep 13th 2011

12 Responses to “Skipton Castle”

  1. jameshigham says:

    Getting awfully close to home there.

  2. Frida says:

    What a beautiful historical place to visit.

  3. crash says:

    Yeh … I think I could have fun in that castle … which way to the wine cellar?

  4. Claude says:

    What a solid, sturdy place. Also great architecture. The “Desormais” (on top) means “From now on..” I wonder why? The British often had French words on their banners.

    • CherryPie says:

      Apparently it is the Cliffords proud challenge. The guidebook has the translation as ‘Henceforth’ and it says it is a Norman French motto. I am still non the wiser I will have to investigate a bit further.

  5. Castles like this one always give me a sense of “deja vu” as if I had been there long time ago…Such interesting history always to be found in those castles.

  6. Ginnie says:

    Now that I’ve met you, Cherry, I can picture you traveling all over the place to see these delightful places…and with Mark, I wonder? How fun for us to see the places we might not otherwise get to. Thank you.