Skipton, Yorkshire

The history of Skipton, as a prosperous northern market town, dates back to before the Doomsday book when, during those times, today’s big northern cities like Leeds were barely on the map. In those days Skipton was an agricultural town and specialised in the sale of livestock. The origin of the town was Saxon, but it later affiliated itself with the House of Lancaster during the war of the Roses.

Right, the main street of old Skipton during a busy Saturday market, a scene that has been repeated for hundreds of years.

Although still a town, Skipton is far from small and its market days, whilst still popular, are no longer the main source of its economy and prosperity.

For the visitor though, this town is a great place to spend a day. The central part of the town has all the trappings one would expect from one of England’s original medieval centres with its own 14th century castle, a town square and the eighteenth century addition of a canal. There is also plenty of shopping, not just at the outdoor market that fills the main street on a Saturday, but throughout the carefully and sensitively renovated town centre.

Left, one of Skipton's old parish churches close to the town square and castle.

The castle

Skipton castle is a large stone structure that dominates the oldest part of the town, but the original building was a wooden fort and dated back to the 11th century. This castle has seen action throughout the years and played an important role in the year long battle between the Royalists and Roundheads in the mid sixteenth century. It was the parliamentarians under Cromwell who eventually one the day. Periodic re-enactments of these battles take place and there is a link at the bottom of this page that may give some updated information on future events. The photo above shows the fortified entrance to the castle.

The Canal

The waterway that passes through the heart of Skipton is the Leeds Liverpool canal. When we took these photographs on a Bank holiday weekend at the end of April (2006), there was a barge (river boat) festival taking place with literally dozens of these long and narrow boats lining the canal side. All were decorated with lights and flowers and it made quite a spectacle. Below, a colourful view of the spectacle from a bridge.

Walking around Skipton is obviously free, but there is an admission fee for those wishing to explore the castle (approx £5.00 per adult).

Our opinion

Skipton is definitely a good town to visit if you plan to spend some time in Yorkshire, it has history, atmosphere and plenty to see.

To find out more, take a look at www.skiptonweb.co.uk.