Creating a Better View of Conisbrough Castle

visitors to Conisborough Castle next year will have a much better view of the ancient buildings, and will see the castle in surroundings not much different from the days when it was occupied by the Normans.

Castle custodian, Mr R. Ames. Acting on instructions from the Ministry of Works, is cutting down many of the shrubs which at present grow on the steep embankment and moats, and hide a good deal of the castle from view. Mr Ames told a South Yorkshire Times reporter on Wednesday that he expected the job will be completed at the end of the winter.

Mr Ames said all the trees had been self-set and the large trees would be left. He explained that when the castle was in use there were no trees at all on the slopes, giving occupants a clear lookout. All trees on the east side have been thinned and Mr Ames is now working on the north side.

Eight Years Work

Repair work on the castle walls, which has been going on for the past eight years, is nearing completion. Doing this work is a free man party – Mr R. Beardsley (charge hand mason), Mr L. Beal (mason) and Mr E. Wood (labourer).

Work so far completed in the restoration programme includes the whole of the entry and West curtain wall and two thirds of the North curtain wall. Mr Ames told our reporter that when this work was finished he did not yet know whether excavations would take place or whether the keep would be restored.

Built about 1185, the castle is the only Norman castle of its type in the country which that it has a round keep with Square buttresses. The majority of Norman castles have Square keeps and there are few with round keeps but no buttresses.