CSG Annual Conference - Harrogate - April 2017 The 31st Annual CSG Conference - Harrogate - Castles of North Yorkshire It was a delightful long weekend break enjoying Thanks go to the following: Peter Burton (or- both the genteel charm of Harrogate and some ganiser); conference handbook texts: the late of the finest castles in the country. David King Philip Davis; Malcolm Hislop (Bolton), John (Castellarium Anglicanum Vol. II, 511-12) re- Kenyon (Middleham and Helmsley); many of cords Yorkshire’s 108 castles plus 16 vanished. the texts are also included in the various Jour- Total 124: 36 Masonry castles, 62 Earthwork nal summaries. Alastair and Morag Fife assist- castles etc. Of those 108, the conference attend- ed in various ways in enhancing our ees managed ten of the best, three of which knowledge, appreciation and visitor experi- were in the old ‘West Riding’ (Skipton, Hare- ence. Speakers and site guides included John wood and Markenfield Hall) and seven in the Kenyon (Helmsley and Middleham), Malcolm ‘North Riding’. So there is plenty of scope for Hislop (Bolton), Erik Matthews (Cropton and a return visit. Richmond), Shaun Richardson and Ed Denni- Those 10 (see above) were: Skipton; Middleham; son (Sheriff Hutton), not forgetting the estate Bolton; Richmond; Sheriff Hutton; Helmsley; staff at Harewood. Cropton; Pickering; Markenfield Hall; Harewood. The evening lecturers included local experts No finer date range, architecturally rich, well- David Mercer (Castles of the North Riding Re- tended, cared-for castles can be found anywhere. visited) and Shaun Richardson (14th century It is difficult to pick out what might be called castles in Yorkshire). A special thanks also to ‘outstanding’ as each site has its own virtues and the owner of Skipton castle, Sebastian Fattorini, interests but for this writer, Richmond, Skipton, for making us most welcome and for his keen Helmsley, Pickering and Bolton stand out in the interest in the history of the castle’s fabric and memory. Perhaps the good weather added an extra in our attempts to unravel it in just two hours. attraction to the most agreeable venues. We hope more can be done on this in the future. THE CASTLE STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL THENO 29: CASTLE 2015-164 STUDIES GROUP JOURNAL NO 31: 2017-18.