O La La! Big Reveal Starts at Clitheroe’s Norman Keep

Meanwhile, in Clitheroe, work has started on the removal of a distinctive white wrap around the town’s 800-year-old Norman castle keep, following a nine-month restoration.

The keep, the second smallest in Britain, has been under wraps since the beginning of the year, while specialist contractors carry out careful repair work.

The contractors have fixed crumbling stonework, fitted new flashing to prevent water damage and thinned out surrounding overgrown foliage to reveal more of the eye-catching structure.

New lighting has also been installed to make the keep look more dramatic at night.

The work has been carried out sympathetically using materials and methods as close as possible to those the original builders would have used.

And now the protective wrap and scaffolding are being removed in a delicate process that will take several weeks.

Ribble Valley Borough Council leader Simon Hore said:

“It will be great to see the castle keep again – it is a distinctive part of the town’s landscape and we have all missed it.

 

“The effects of time and the weather had taken their toll on the keep and there was an increasing danger of the stonework crumbling to the point where, without the repairs, we would have had to stop public access.

 

“This essential work means this historic landmark can be enjoyed by future generations and remain in public ownership for years to come.”

The work at the Clitheroe Castle keep is part of a £2.3million investment in the site.

The programme features the refurbishment of castle’s bandstand, revamps of the multi-use games area (MUGA) and skatepark, and installation of an outdoor gym, while railings, benches and pathways throughout the castle grounds are being replaced and resurfaced.

The works will be completed next year, which is the national Year of the Normans marking the 1,000th anniversary of the birth of William the Conqueror, and commemorating the Tour de France, which will pass through Ribble Valley.

Clitheroe Castle which was built in the late 12th Century by Robert de Lacy as the administrative centre of his vast estates.

It was used as a base during the War of the Roses and damaged by Parliamentary forces in the English Civil War.

The castle was privately owned until 1920, when it was sold by public subscription to townspeople as a memorial to the fallen of the First World War.

The keep will receive an official reopening ceremony towards the end of October, when the shroud and scaffolding have been completely removed.