War of the Roses and the scent of Licorice!
The historic Pontefract Castle is a gem for Yorkshire. Not only is it rich in history, it’s free to enter and explore.
I have been taking my children here since they were little and its a great place to enjoy the ruins, run around and have a picnic. Enjoy the park, take full advantage of the cafe and even buy some herbs and flowers to plant at home.
There’s lots of information points and fun facts when you walk round and mine enjoy learning something new when we visit!
Certain days of the year you can visit the dungeons for a small fee. It’s worth booking in advance and taking a tour of them. It’s fairly small, cold and buried deep beneath the castle with lots of rooms full of carvings from the prisoners who spent time there.
Licorice is definelty a focus here at Pontefract Castle. And for a good reason too!
The Dunhill family rented land in Pontefract Castle for growing Licorice. Imagine hiring a castle and turning it into a crop field! They stored harvested Licorice roots in the castle cellars, which had previously been used for storing weapons, gunpowder and prisoners. Licorice was originally intended to be used as a medicine but no someone had a great idea to add sugar that resulted in the first Licorice sweet that many of us still enjoy today! That’s why the Pontefract Cake has a Castle stamped on it!
And not forgetting to cement ourselves in history by taking our obligatory family picture!
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Pontefract Castle is a perfect host for events check out the link below to see what’s going on
