Photo: author Bill Bryson was on hand at Helmsley to officially open the new £900,000 centre. © Tony Bartholomew.
English Heritage this week unveiled a new £900,000 visitor centre at Helmsley Castle in North Yorkshire and re-wrote the history books along the way.
The state-of-the-art development, in the castle’s Tudor Manor House, is the new home of scores of previously unseen relics. Some of them suggest the castle played a key role in medieval weapons development and military technology in the North of England.
Chief among the relics are a series of specially produced armour piercing arrowheads – the like of which have only previously been found on the wreckage of the Mary Rose.
"It seems that arrowhead technology may have reached its peak in Helmsley, before the advent of firearms," explained Andrew Morrison, Senior Curator at English Heritage. "In a linked discovery we have also confirmed that the castle had its own iron worker and forge through the analysis of slag."
Photo: the centre allows artefacts relating to the 800-year-old castle go on display for the first time.
"Amazingly it’s the first definite evidence for smithying at any castle in the country," he added.
The copper strengthened projectiles are capable of splitting open chain mail and armour and represent the ultimate in medieval arrowhead technology.
Dug from the grounds in the 1920s the arrowheads (along with many other artefacts such as cannonballs, swords and tiles) have been under lock and key ever since in the English Heritage York stores.
It was only when curators came to select artefacts for the new visitor centre that they noticed some of the arrows had an unusually large amount of copper in them. Experts at the nearby Royal Armouries were called in to confirm the discovery.
Photo: © Tony Bartholomew.
The Castle now boasts the most extensive and best-preserved collection of relics from any northern English castle. Other facilities include improved disabled access, new audio tours, interactive displays and a new viewing platform.
David Fraser, English Heritage Regional Director for Yorkshire said: "The fortress has a compelling story which will now be told with the top class visitor facilities that Helmsley deserves."
Helmsley Castle was founded in the 12th century by the Norman Lord, Walter Espec. After surviving the border raids of the medieval period the castle was eventually attacked and partially destroyed following a siege during the English Civil War.
Staff at English Heritage believe the improvements will transform the visitor experience and boost visitor numbers to the castle.
