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There’s a historic castle around an hour away from Leeds which is a complete secret to many in Yorkshire.

We guarantee you’ll have seen it while making trips around Yorkshire on the train but it really is one of those blink and you’ve missed it moments.

Wressle Castle is a privately owned estate which was famously home to Henry VIII for three nights and also residence to the one-time powerful Percy family.

Our colleagues at Hull Live have done a little digging into the history of the eye-catching structure and it makes for a fascinating tale.

So, next time you see it fleetingly in your eye, at least you’ll know a little bit more about Wressle Castle and those who once resided there.

The history of Wressle Castle

The estate doesn’t tend to feature on tourism boards or leaflets.

That is probably the reason why the hidden gem, bordering North and East Yorkshire, boasts an incredible history.

Robert Falkingham grew up in the shadow of the castle - which is the only medieval castle in East Yorkshire.

The Falkinghams have farmed at Wressle for four generations and Robert’s great grandfather bought the farmland on which the castle sits in 1956.

The castle was eventually handed back to the Percy family and Henry Percy embarked on a huge refurbishment. As the castle flies by while you stare out of the train window, it is worth noting the stories of that unassuming ruin.

“Henry Percy was known as Henry the Magnificent and he was one of the richest men in England at the time,” Mr Falkingham.

“He fell in love with a certain Anne Boleyn but his parents did not approve as she was beneath him. Of course, she went on to marry Henry VIII and Henry was forced to be on the jury who condemned her to death."

After the Percy family once more backed a failed rebellion, the Crown gained control and Henry VIII stayed there for three nights in 1541.

The building that now stands is just on quarter of what was Wressle Castle and the building’s demise began during the English Civil War when it was garrisoned by Parliamentarians.

“The castle was damaged during the war and the king ordered it all be demolished except for the south wing which we see today which was used as a manor house,” Mr Falkingham said.

The remaining Wressle Castle was not used much by the Percy family thereafter and was occupied by tenant farmers.

The final death knell for the castle came in 1796 when one such tenant farmer decided to try and burn the soot from the chimney but ended up setting fire to the whole building. Wressle Castle has remained a ruin ever since.

The ruins gradually became overgrown and fell into an increasingly desperate state of disrepair - until a few years ago.

Historic England - formerly English Heritage - considered the castle to be a ‘building at risk’, but thanks to a two-year restoration project in 2017 which was spearheaded by Mr Falkingham, it has been removed from the list.

“I’d been seeking funding to help restore and preserve it for a number of years, but not had much success,” he said. “Wressle Castle was overgrown and the stonework was crumbling so badly I feared that some sections were going to break away.”

He turned to Natural England’s Higher Level Stewardship scheme and, together with grants from Historic England and The Country Houses Foundation, made it possible for him to hire the services of Historic Property Restoration, a specialist building restoration firm based in North Shields.

The castle originally comprised of four ranges set around a central courtyard, with a tower at each corner and a gatehouse tower in the eastern wall, facing Wressle village. It was surrounded by a moat, gardens and a deer park to the north.

Work was completed in 2016 when the grounds were cleared, along with what remains of the moat.

Information boards have been put in place to explain the castle’s history and show visitors how it would have looked when the entire structure was still standing and occupied by the Percy family.

As part of the deal with Historic England, there are four public open days each year where members of the public can visit the site.

In 2018, around 1,300 visitors paid a visit on the first open weekend, which included the English Civil War re-enactment group.

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