Visited December 2024

Location	Fotheringhay, Northamptonshire
Entrance Fee	No
Railway Station Nearby	No
Parking	Roadside
Facilities	None
Map

There is sadly not much left of this Northamptonshire castle- time was not kind to the building and the stone was removed to build a pub in the nearby town of Oundle. However it was once a grand castle, in the keeping of the House of York, and was the birthplace of King Richard III.

Review

There is just a small piece of masonry left, and it has railings  all around  to protect it. On the railings are commemorative plaques of the birth of Richard III at the castle, and the execution of Mary Queen of Scots, which are probably the two most famous events in the castle's life.

The rest of the site is  made up of earthworks and a motte. The motte is climbable and has excellent views from the top, especially over the nearby church, which was the church of the House of York for many years. Richard's father and brother were interred here, after Edward IV had then reburied with some pomp and ceremony once he became king.

The best thing about the castle, apart from it being free, is the setting. Fotheringhay is a small village, quaint, as American tourists are fond of saying. The castle site itself has a lot of green space, and as we were there on a crisp but cold winter day there were not many other brave souls visiting, so we had the place pretty much to ourselves. The motte is quite steep- we found it fine going up but coming down was harder, especially on the leg muscles!

The River Nene runs along the edge of the site- it s unfenced so care needs to be taken with small kids. The earthworks are also uneven under foot, so be careful if the kids are runing around. 

The church of St Mary and All Saints is open on specific days to look around. It is a pretty large and grand looking church for a smallish village, but this is because of the patronage of the House of York. It has some interesting features, such as the York family stained glass window, featuring the white boar of Richard III.  An annual carol service is held there which is attended by members of the Richard III Society. 

There are various buildings in the village which were built during the reign of Edward IV, mainly as extra accomodation for servants and guests of the castle. These building have been turned into residential houses, but are  amazing survivors , especially when the castle itself was dismantled.

We actually stayed in Peterborough during our visit, and got a taxi to Fotheringhay as there is no other reliable way of reaching the village without a car. While in Peterborough we had a look around th Cathedral, and were impressed with the amount of history it contained. There is the tomb of Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII's first wife who was exiled nearby once he had obtained a divorce. Her tomb is well maintained, and there is a Katherine of Aragon Festival in Peterborough every year. There is also the former tomb of Mary Queen of Scots. She was originally buried in the Cathedral after her execution, but when her son James I came to the throne he had her remains moved to Westminster Abbey.

Other points of interest are the cross with the sculpture of Jesus created by Frank Roper, a well-known ecclesiastical artist. The part of the Cathedral known as the New Church  (actually not that new as dates back to the 16th century ) has an amazing ceiling, very similar to the one found at Gloucester Cathedral. Also in the Cathedral precinct is the motte of Peterborough Castle, but annoyingly it is now part of the private gardens of the Dean of the Cathedral, and has no public access, which is a shame. Maybe one day the gardens will be opened to the public. 

All in all the visit to Fotheringhay with our little cousin in tow was a great trip, especially combining it with the suberb Peterborough Cathedral.

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