Clitheroe Castle keep reopens after safety work

The keep and curtain wall were closed to the public last October on the advice of heritage experts who are undertaking structural surveys at the site.

A quantity of pottery pieces discovered during the survey work are currently being analysed by archaeologists and first indications are that they may be extremely old.

Now the keep and curtain wall have reopened to the public, although fencing around the keep and props inside it will remain in place over the coming months, while further survey work is undertaken.

Adam Allen, Ribble Valley Borough Council’s director of community services, said: “Clitheroe Castle is the jewel in the borough’s crown and the keep and curtain wall are particularly popular among residents and visitors.

“It was unfortunately necessary to close the site while heritage experts completed the surveys and we would like to thank residents and visitors for bearing with us during the closure.”

Clitheroe Castle has dominated the Ribble Valley skyline since its construction in the 12th Century by Robert de Lacy to protect the administrative centre of his vast estates.

In 1920, Clitheroe Castle was purchased by public subscription as a memorial to those who had fallen and served in the First World War.

The site is now owned and managed by Ribble Valley Borough Council.

The keep is the second smallest surviving stone-built keep in England. The castle was listed as a Scheduled Monument in April 1915.