Work Starts on £2.3million Clitheroe Castle Investment Scheme
Work on the first phase of a £2.3million Clitheroe Castle investment scheme starts Tuesday 2 December.
Phase One of the scheme will focus on the castle’s 800-year-old stone keep, which dominates Clitheroe and can be seen for miles around.
Scaffolding is currently being erected around the keep in preparation for the restoration work, which will include fixing crumbling stonework, fitting new flashing to prevent water damage and thinning surrounding overgrown foliage to reveal more of the eye-catching structure.
Erecting the scaffolding will take several weeks, with specialist contractors scheduled to start the restoration work after the festive break.
The keep will be closed to the public until the work is completed in around six months.
The restoration work is part of a wider programme of improvements to Clitheroe Castle and its grounds, scheduled to start in full next April, featuring new benches, bins and signposts, better paths and steps, improved lighting, as well as a revamp of the bandstand and new roofing and boilers at the castle museum.
There will also be improvements to the park’s multi-use games area (MUGA) and skatepark, and the creation of an outdoor gym area on the former tennis courts, which is scheduled to start in the New Year.
Stuart Hirst, chairman of Ribble Valley Borough Council’s community services committee, said:
“The castle keep has been the ‘face’ of Clitheroe for hundreds of years and this work will ensure it remains so for generations to come.
“The keep will be closed during restoration, but the castle museum and grounds will remain open and are well worth a visit.”
Clitheroe Castle’s Grade I-listed keep is the second smallest stone-built keep in England and a scheduled monument, which means it is a nationally-recognised archaeological site.
It dates back to the 12th Century and was originally the centre of a vast estate owned by the de Lacy family.
Clitheroe Castle remained in private ownership until 1920, when it was bought with money raised by public subscription to create a memorial to 260 soldiers from the town who died in the First World War.