Image: Spofforth Castle Undercroft

Description: Spofforth Castle, situated midway between Harrogate and Wetherby, was a fortified structure built partially into the bedrock of the land which supports it. The ground had been the home of the de Percy family (who also owned Plumpton Rocks) since Norman times and in 1308, Henry de Percy obtained a licence to fortify the building. The family were on the losing side of the Battle of Towton in 1461 and afterwards the castle was partly destroyed. It was somewhat rebuilt in the sixteenth century but now stands as ruins. This shot was taken in the undercroft of the building; the oldest part of the remaining structure. It would have had a vaulted ceiling to support the hall that lay on the floor above. Notice the doorway at the bottom-right carved into the local bedrock - it used to be a secret passageway which emerged somewhere in the nearby village.
Title: Spofforth Castle Undercroft
Credit: Own work by uploader. The original file can be found in this set of images.
Author: TJBlackwell
Usage Terms: Creative Commons Attribution 3.0
License: CC BY 3.0
License Link: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0
Attribution Required?: Yes