Help Unlock Conisbrough Castle's New Future!
People are being invited to bring along their memories and stories of Conisbrough Castle to help shape a new future for the spectacular 12th century fortress.
Heritage Open Days - Britain's biggest and most diverse celebration of architecture, history and culture - takes place from 10 to 13 September 2009 and the castle is one of over 100 places across South Yorkshire opening its doors for free.
From 10am to 5pm on Saturday (12 Sept) there'll be archery and a Knight's trail, but also a unique chance for folk to have their say on the changes and improvements they want to see at the castle. There'll also be a memory board to post old photos, stories, tall tales or anecdotes to help get creative juices flowing.
English Heritage is carrying out a major review of the castle and its facilities after taking over the day-to-day management from the Ivanhoe Trust last year. Built of magnesian limestone, Conisbrough is one of Yorkshire's finest examples of medieval military architecture and is the only building of its kind in Europe. It was one of the inspirations behind Sir Walter Scott's classic novel, Ivanhoe.
Michael Constantine, English Heritage Assistant Visitor Operations Director for the North, said:
"The castle has stood guard over the town for centuries and now it's time to ask the community how they want to see it develop. It's a tremendous asset with a fabulous past, but it also has a key role to play in the area's future."
There'll also be a chance to put yourself in Conisbrough's 'big picture' by placing your house onto a 3D design of the area showing how the castle and town are inextricably linked.
This year for the first time Heritage Open Days is being run by English Heritage, who stepped in to rescue it when the previous organisers, the Civic Trust, went into administration. Around one million people are expected to visit properties of every style, period and function.
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