Cawood Castle, Near York, North Yorkshire
A Brief Introduction to Cawood Castle
The late medieval rooms in this gatehouse are all that survive of Cawood Castle, once a residence of the Archbishops of York. In November 1530, Cardinal Wolsey was dramatically arrested for treason at Cawood on Henry VIII’s orders.
It was the first step on a journey that would end just over three weeks later, with the Cardinal’s broken body lowered into its shallow grave at Leicester Abbey. Today Cawood [correctly pronounced Cowud] Castle is but a willowy shadow of the once grand archepiscopal palace that, at its zenith, was described as ‘the veritable Windsor of the north’.
Lying just seven miles south of the City of York and on the navigable banks of the River Ouse, its foundation can be traced to the year 930, when the Saxon King, Athelstan, granted land at Cawood to the diocese of the aforementioned city. Subsequently, the fortunes of the manor house [later called castle] at Cawood waxed and waned, ‘first as a simple residence of the Archbishop, and then as an almost impregnable fortress,’ with the property being built up at various times, before apparently falling into decay; a cycle which seems to have repeated itself through Cawood’s illustrious history. Find out more in my blog here.
Historic Properties Nearby
Visitor Information
The Landmark Trust manages Cawood Castle. For more details on the accommodation, check out their website.
Address: Cawood Castle, Sherburn Street, Cawood, Selby.
