Tickhill Castle open day 2023: Here's when you can visit private Norman castle in Yorkshire that's only open one day each year

The 11th-century Norman castle is owned by King Charles III’s Duchy of Lancaster estate, and as part of their lease, the tenants must open the monument to the public once a year.

The motte – or mound - is the highest in England dating from the immediate aftermath of the Norman Conquest in 1066, and the medieval gatehouse over the moat still survives.

The site is open on June 11 from 2-4.30pm. Dogs are not allowed and refreshments are available. There is also a small entry fee.

Tickhill’s fortress has a fascinating and bloody history. Although the original keep behind the curtain wall has not survived, there is a 17th-century manor house that is still rented out by the Duchy today.

The gatehouse and fortifications were built by the Crown following a siege by King Henry I, when the then-owner sided with a rival to the throne. The keep was impressive, with 11 ‘sides’, and its foundations can still be seen. A barbican was later added, and in 1322 it was attacked again during a rebellion.

It has been part of the Duchy of Lancaster, held by the monarch, since 1362.

It was the Hansby family who built the current manor in the 1600s on the site of the old Great Hall. They were Royalists during the Civil War, when the castle was garrisoned again, but had to surrender when Parliamentary forces besieged Tickhill. It was during this period when the keep was demolished and the curtain wall pulled down to deliberately render the site indefensible.

In the 18th century, more sections of wall were removed and the grounds landscaped in the style of a country house. The outer gate is still reached by a bridge over the moat and through the barbican.

The rare opportunity to tour the grounds is always popular, and visitors are warned to expect queues to enter the castle. The house itself is not open, only the monument, and the terrain can be uneven, with steep slopes and rubble from past land slippages.