Next stage of Clitheroe Castle Norman keep restoration is under way

The project, which began in December, is focusing first on the castle’s 800-year-old stone keep. Specialist contractors have been fixing crumbling stonework, fitting new flashing to protect against water damage and cutting back overgrown foliage to reveal more of the historic building.

Plastic sheeting has now been added to the keep which closed to the public while the work continues.

The restoration, expected to take around six months to complete, is part of a wider programme of improvements to Clitheroe Castle and its grounds, due to get fully under way in the spring.

Planned upgrades include new benches, bins and signposts, improved paths and steps, better lighting, a revamped bandstand, and new roofing and boilers at the castle museum.

There will also be upgrades to the park’s multi-use games area and skatepark, plus a new outdoor gym on the former tennis courts.

The castle’s Grade I-listed keep is the second smallest stone-built keep in England and is a scheduled monument, meaning it is a nationally recognised archaeological site. Dating back to the 12th Century, it was once the centre of a vast estate owned by the de Lacy family.

Clitheroe Castle remained in private ownership until 1920, when it was bought with money raised by public subscription to create a memorial to 260 local soldiers who died in the First World War.