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Sheriff Hutton had two castles – an early (probably originally Saxon) mound and ditch and a late 14th century Angevin stone castle. Both have at one time been the seat of the powerful Neville family, descendants of the family of king Canute and forever at odds with the upstart Norman Percy clan.

 

The guided Castle Tours start from near the Highwayman Inn with a walk around the outside of the 1382 Angevin (Plantagenet) castle pointing out some of the features of both castle and its position in the surrounding country.

 

We move on to the ancient castle mound – the remains of which may once have been a Saxon ringwork, later occupied by Normans and finally by the Nevilles. Surviving features of both castle mound and the medieval landscape will be discussed with reference to the early history of the village.

 

From there we go to the site of the Outer Court of the Plantagenet castle and discuss the logistics of managing such a significant medieval building in its heyday.

 

Finally we enter the ruins of the stone castle via the Middle Court and examine the remnants of the four towers and gatehouse, going into the one intact chamber in the South West tower, the sounding hall and descending to look at its undercroft.

 

There will then be time for individuals to look around the ruins (within the constraints of safety) and to ask questions of the guide.

 

The whole tour takes approximately 90 minutes. There are some steep slopes and much of the tour is on grass so wheelchair access is limited. Visitors are advised to have appropriate footwear and clothing, the ground is uneven and sometimes muddy, tours will still go ahead in the rain.

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Maximum 20 people, £5 per person, to be paid on the day in cash please. Dogs on leads welcome.

Please contact us for groups in excess of 20.