Whorlton Castle, Medieval fortress in North Yorkshire, England
Whorlton Castle is a stone fortress ruin in North Yorkshire featuring a 14th-century gatehouse with segment-arched entrances, cross-windows, and a vaulted undercroft. The remains stand on an early earthwork mound that connects the castle's original defenses with its later stone reconstruction.
A Norman motte-and-bailey fortification was built after 1066, then Lord Darcy constructed a stone gatehouse in 1343. This shift from earthwork to stone shows how castles evolved over centuries.
The grounds once held gardens and ponds that show how medieval people integrated castles with managed spaces around them.
The site sits roughly 500 meters along Whorlton Lane from Swainby village, with parking available near Whorlton Old Church. Wear sturdy shoes as the grassy ground can be uneven and wet, especially after rain.
The mound beneath the ruins has an unusual square shape rather than the typical oval form found in Norman fortifications from that era. This unexpected geometry makes the site interesting to fortification experts.
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