England · Ruin
Spofforth Castle
Spofforth Castle is a ruined early-14th-century fortified manor house in Spofforth, North Yorkshire. The surviving fabric is dominated by the hall-tower and associated ranges; it was ruined in the English Civil War and is now cared for by English Heritage.
First raised
1400
Its prime
1450
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1450
What Spofforth Castle looked like in its prime.
A compact hall-tower and ruined ranges of red-brown sandstone sit on and against exposed bedrock, with the eastern wall built directly on a rock face. Tall, narrow arched window openings puncture the upper wall, while the ground level contains an undercroft with a dark doorway. Rubble masonry, worn ashlar dressings and a polygonal stair turret remain, enclosing a small open courtyard with low stone partitions and visible rock-cut stair slots.
Its story
The story of Spofforth Castle.
Henry de Percy's Licence to Crenellate
Spofforth was a fortified manor house. Henry de Percy built it in the early 14th century, when he was given a licence to crenellate a manor house already standing on the site, and further alterations followed through the 14th and 15th centuries. The extant 13th-century structure is a ground-floor undercroft, which has a rock face forming its eastern wall because of its elevation, and two staircases cut into the rock climb from it to the lobby of the hall above. The eastern wall of the hall itself was built largely upon rock foundations. The upper storey of the two-storey chamber block on the north side is 15th-century, and is probably a restoration.
Forfeiture, Restoration and the Inglebys, 1408 to 1604
The Percy estates, Spofforth among them, were confiscated after the rebellion against King Henry IV in 1408 and given to Sir Thomas Rokeby. They were later restored to the family, then lost again in 1461, when the Percys supported the losing side in the Wars of the Roses. Spofforth was eventually returned to them once more, and remained inhabited by the family's steward, Sampson Ingleby, father of Sir William and Jane Ingleby, until 1604.
From Civil War Ruin to English Heritage Guardianship
The castle was reduced to ruins during the English Civil War of 1642 to 1646, and the hall-tower is all that remains of it. The castle was given to the Office of Works in 1924 by the 3rd Baron Leconfield. The ruins, primarily the west side of the original castle, are listed grade II* and stand under the guardianship of English Heritage, which runs the site as a tourist attraction, and they are managed by Spofforth-with-Stockeld Parish Council. In 1985 the people of Spofforth bought Castle Field for the lasting benefit of the community.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1450.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Spofforth Castle, including 3 interiors: hall lobby and entrance, undercroft entrance and chamber, staircases cut into the eastern rock. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Build Your Own Castle
Recreate Spofforth Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1450, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
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Clans who held Spofforth Castle.
The families that held Spofforth Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Built by Henry de Percy in the early 14th century under licence to crenellate; later returned to the family, whose steward lived there until 1604.
Nearby
