Skipton Castle - the pleasant bit!

Monday, 10 August 2009 20:39

Entertaining the Medieval Way

This was done on a grand scale. The castle inhabitants, garrisoned soldiers and special guests were fed and watered well!

The Great HallA Medieval banquet

The old kitchen, used from 1300, had two hearths - a roasting hearth

and the baking hearth - see the bread ovens each side

The new kitchen used from 1680 was more up to date - a charcoal oven

Off this was the curing room for meat etc

After eating, the ladies would withdraw and the withdrawing room had excellent light to enable them to spin and sew

Withdrawing room scene

It is said that Mary Queen of Scots was a temporary prisoner here and the view towards Scotland may have been her favourite. Now it is obscured by trees along the Springs Branch and Eller Beck!

View from the withdrawing room

I must not leave the domestic arrangements without mentioning the comfort afforded by a garderobe, or privy. There is an example of one next to the old Medieval kitchen and John had to sample it!

John making use of the facilitiesThe long drop below down which everything fell!

Maybe he had been sampling too much of the wine from the wine cellar

The wine rack was empty as was the beer cooler!

So we finally arrived where we had begun, under the old yew tree, planted in 1659 in Conduit Court

The Governor, Sir John, was greeting his guests and graciously chatted to John

So it was out into the sunshine and the castle grounds, which are immaculate: striped lawns and mellow buildings.

The "Tudor" wing which is now residences

The ubiquitous shop and café

For those more "heavenly minded," there is the ruined Chapel of St John the Evangelist

The chapel is thought to be of 13th Century origin, after the riegn of King John and the Magna Carta. It is recorded in an Inquisition of 1315. It is built of reddish sandstone and the windows were leaded and possibly had green glass.

The font East end

So ended a brilliant experience. The late morning had started with pie and mushy peas ( a Yorkshire delicacy) in the Refectory of Holy Trinity Church and finished with a visit to the church, as it has very close connections with Skipton Castle - not only because it is next door - but more of that at a later date.

Holy Trinity from the Castle

The whole castle tour in photographs is worth looking at, as I have omitted quite a bit! - Follow this link to our photo gallery.