Open the Siege of Pontefract Castle app!

On Saturday and Sunday 1-2 June we will be bringing the sights and sounds of battle to Pontefract Castle – 375 years since it was first besieged in the English Civil War.

If you’re coming to visit our encampment in this once-great fortress, make sure you open up the Siege of Pontefract Castle app!

Go to bit.ly/civilwarsapp to open our app!

Compatible with all internet-enabled smartphones, it’s your indispensable guide to what’s happening over the weekend – get the full schedule and details on getting there and parking, find out more about the history of the sieges of the 1640s, and discover some of the 17th Century characters you’ll be able to meet!

The castle is open from 10am to 5pm, with the reenactment running from 11am to 4pm. Visitors will be able to meet the soldiers garrisoning the castle, watch as they demonstrate the lost skills of musket and pike, watch live demonstrations of 17th Century cannon fire, and discover what life was like for those tasked with defending Pontefract Castle during the English Civil War.

See a blacksmith making armour using techniques from the period, test how you’d have manage scaling the walls of a besieged castle on the climbing wall, and try striking a siege coin!

At 2pm each day, the soldiers of the garrison will be forced to fight for their lives as the defences are stormed – come and cheer for your side as the two sides clash in a flurry of cannon shot, musket fire, and sword play!

For more information about the weekend, visit the event listing on our website!