England · Partial ruin
Skipsea Castle
Skipsea Castle was a Norman motte-and-bailey near the village of Skipsea in the East Riding of Yorkshire, built around 1086. Its large artificial lake (Skipsea Mere) surrounded the motte and linked the site to the North Sea; only earthworks survive today and the site is managed by English Heritage.
First raised
1086
Its prime
1160
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1160
The shape it held in its prime.
A very large circular earthen motte about 11 metres high and roughly 100 metres across, built of sand and gravel atop a natural glacial mound, with a flat 0.25-acre summit that supported a timber keep and palisade. The motte stood within Skipsea Mere, an artificial lake with causeways to the south and east; a curving bailey wrapped around the west and south with high clay ramparts and a wide defensive ditch. A gatehouse guarded the southern entrance and a channel ran along the bailey edge to wharves and a probable boat yard.
Step inside
9 places to explore in 1160.
The record describes 9 distinct spots at Skipsea Castle — including 2 interiors: summit of the motte with timber keep, bailey interior looking northwest along the ramparts. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
See Skipsea Castle with the fires lit.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1160 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →
