Conisbrough is my home town. I was born here, grew up here and went to school here. I left at the age of 18 and moved back in 2007 aged 31. My house overlooks the castle and has views simular to the picture Ciao uses.

I used to play hide and seek in the grounds as a kid. I've spent many long hours playing there. Back then, the inner court was overgrown with weeds and woodland and was an adventure playground for us. There were no railings, no upkeep, no security. It was free to get in. It was fair play. Only the grounds are free thesedays. My two year old son has been toddling there and was playing in the snow back there in February. I have a close association with the place.

Much has changed.

Summer Opening times 21 March - 30 September (10 am - 5pm)

Winter Opening times 1 October - 21 March (10 am - 4pm)

Prices : Adults £4 Concessions £3.40 Children 6-16 £2 Under 5's FREE

Address : Castle Hill, Conisbrough, Doncaster, DN12 3BU.

HISTORY

Conisbrough is a natural choice to build a castle. It lies on a hill next to a river and is close to the Roman settlement Danum (Doncaster) on the Great North Rd. In the Eleventh century, William the Conqueror had taken charge of the country and his favourites and trusted nobles were given lands around the country. The land Conisbrough sat in was given to William de Warenne who fought valiantly at the Battle of Hastings. The castle was built for protection against the mainly Saxon population. However it is said William never actually spent time in Conisbrough, preferring other lands he was given. At his height he ruled over lands in twelve counties and was one of the wealthiest landowners in the country. The massive, well preserved keep was added in the twelth century. Other additions were made in and around this time. By the fourteenth century a 'Warenne' died without issue which meant ownership passed to the Crown. But by 1537 the Castle was abandoned and in ruins. A survey records that the gates, barbican, walling structures and some of the keeps floors had collapsed. This ruinous state is probably why the castle was left alone in the Civil war and why it is so well preserved today. Most castles in that era were demolished to prevent them from being used.

TODAY

Doncaster Council own the land the Castle sits on but it falls upon English Heritage to upkeep it who in turn use the Ivanhoe Trust to manage the property. The castle is seen as a primary tourist spot in South Yorkshire and it sees 30,000 visitors a year. This Castle is one of the best examples of a Norman Castle in Europe, certainly the one with the best preserved keep. In 1995 the keep had it's floors and roof reinstated using E.U money, however the Castles tourist potential is still vastly under-harnassed. The site has an amateur, uniambitious feel to the way it's run.

Sure 10,000 schoolkids a year from the local area get to see it which can only be a good thing. However that means only 20,000 others get to see it which equates to roughly 70 people a day. Run properly, in the summer months, the numbers should be in the hundreds.

The car park to the castle would be in my guess big enough to hold 20 cars maximum. Therein lies a problem in itself. How can you attract the numbers if you can't accomodate them?

The visitor centre looks aged and weather beaten, not helped by its design. Inside there is lots of information on the history of the castle and some interesting models. Also theres lots of local schoolchildrens offerings - pictures and poems etc.

However the staff look miserable and are generally unhelpful. Given that they are there on behalf of the Ivanhoe Trust suggest they are either volunteers or subsidised by the council so are on a pittance. There are commentaries available which explain each section of the castle as you tour around, which will prove invaluable as most of what is left is basically ruins and foundations. Only the walls and keep remain in good condition.

Souvenirs and purchases in the visitor centre are the bare minimum. If you go to most gift shops thesedays you are literally inundated with hundreds of possible purchases. Not so here. Further evidence of uninbition and neglect I'm afraid.

The keep itself is the highlight of the tour. Be warned, there are hundreds of steps which will test even the fittest. Each floor has been designed to look like it would have back in its heyday. And at the top you will experience some impressive views. The very bottom of the keep encompasses a very spooky dungeon. When I was a kid, it was full of beer cans and smelt of urine but its been restored to its former glories.

The grounds of the castle are free to the public. Theres lots of space for you to wander, explore ancient woodlands, lock yourself in the village stocks, take your dog for a walk or have a picnic. And heres a secret, after closing time when the visitor centre is closed up, theres a certain place at the castle walls where you can climb up the walls over the railings and have a stroll around for free inside the castle walls. Watch out for the White Lady though. She's said to been haunting the castle grounds for as long as I can remember although I've never seen her. Is it compulsory for an old building to have a white lady haha?

There's a castle lodge which is called Castle Tea Rooms. It's run by two old lady volunteers. Lovely old dears who you can have a chinwag with. They do excellent bacon rolls and coffee for dirt cheap prices. Theres also a book loan scheme going on in there which is popular with the locals. It also houses the toilets for visitors which seem clean and well maintained. Shame is the majority of people who use the place are locals which isn't what it's use is for.

MY OPINION

I love the place. I've been in and around the Castle for most of my life. Im glad they've started to improve things. But they havn't gone nowhere near enough. It's huge potential is still relatively untapped. Some locals may think thats a good thing, so that peace and quiet is maintained. I think it's a huge waste. The place is steeped in history and a fantastic place of heritage that we should utilise to the full. Theres so much they could do - falconry, jousting, archery, guided tours and walks etc etc . I can visialise how things could be, given well thought out planning and funding. I can't see it happening in the near future however which is a crying shame.