With Museums galore, a Norman Castle, Georgian streets and a route on the Coast to Coast walk there is a lot of exploring to do in and around Richmond.
Warnings
If you arrive by car beware that parking is controlled by disc and the signs are small and distant! Yep I got a ticket. I parked on the square near the obelisk.
The town pub trail will get you into more hostelries than I could cope with and there is now a brewery on the banks of the Swale in the former Station where you can watch artisan brewing in progress with a tour of the brewery.
The Friary tower doesn’t lean I must have taken the picture after I walked up from the brewery.
‘A School trip at the cenotaph’ – appropriate with the significant military connections the town had long held. Friary Tower
Friar’s Wynd takes you through one of the two remaining medieval gateways, past the Georgian Theater to the Friary Gardens where the fine Franciscan Friary bell tower, built by the Greyfriars of Richmond, still stands.
Breathtaking views of the Yorkshire Dales and the castle gardens from the castle keep
Odd And Interesting Facts about Richmond
- Founded by the Normans in 1071 the town grew up around the castle built on the ‘riche-mont’ or ‘strong-hill’ hence the name.
- There are 50 odd more places named Richmond around the world. This means it is the most duplicated UK place name.
- Richmond is where one of the first gas works in Europe was built in1830 century.
- The Green Howards Regimental Museum is in the cobbled square in old Trinity Church. It has a great medal collection including 16 Victoria Crosses.
- A tunnel under the town was discovered at the end of the 18th century . A drummer boy was asked to walk along the tunnel beating his drum so that above ground soldiers could follow the noise for 3 miles before the sound suddenly stopped.
- Catterick camp is close by and sends many children to the good local schools.
- Cumberland Temple was built to celebrate the victory of the Duke of Cumberland’s army over Prince Charles Edward Stuart at Culloden Moor in April 1746. It is now called Culloden Tower and the octagonal shape is occasionally open to the public.
Three Lots of Monks
- Grey, white and black monks from different orders have built in Richmond. Grey Franciscans built the friary
- Benedictines, a community of black monks built St. Martin’s Priory on the south bank of the Swale but there is now little left of the ruins.
- Premonstratensians wore a white habit and became known as the White Canons and they built on the opposite side of the river where the remains of Easby Abbey or the Abbey of St. Agatha now stand.