| Where: | Middleham, North Yorkshire at and near the Castle and St Alkelda's Church, and the Key Centre |
| When: | Weekend in early July |
| Time: | 10 am- 4pm (see Facebook event page link for details) |
Middleham Castle in North Yorkshire was for many years the home of Richard III, and the event staged here each July celebrates the connections of the King and the little town. At the castle itself and in the adjacent field there are living history encampments, demonstrations of medieval crafts and skills,courtly and peasant dances, military talks and displays and of course audiences with the King himself, and Anne his Queen,as well as sales and information stalls for local and national history groups including the Richard III Society. In addition, there are more in-depth talks by historians held over the course of the weekend, and services at St Alkelda’s Church.
Helpful Hints
The 2026 dates are Saturday 4th & Sunday 5th July. Normal admission charges apply at the Castle. As the programme varies from year to year, check the links below for the up-to-date schedule. Please note that though the talks in Church are free of charge, donations will be gratefully accepted.
2026 schedule:
Saturday 4 July Hosted by the Yorkshire Branch of the Richard III SocietyVenue: Church of St Mary & St Alkelda, Middleham11.00 am: Andrew Slade: One-man drama: 1 King, 2 Princes & Shakespeare’s Lie1.00 pm: Richard Goddard, Chair of Tewkesbury Battlefield Society:The Route to and the Battle of Tewkesbury2.30 pm: Actor-Director, Thomas Dennis & Author, Matt Lewis:‘A Taste of Loyalty’: Richard at the Battle of BarnetTickets: Day Tickets are £25 and tickets for individual presentations are £10.Tickets may be booked from the Yorkshire Branch Secretary: rgm@dockroyd.co.uk or on 01535 645 454
Sunday 5 July Hosted by the Richard III SocietyVenue: Richard III Hall, Key Centre, MiddlehamA celebration of the probable 550th anniversary of the birth of Prince Edward, Richard III’s son.11.00 am – 4.15 pm – to include refreshments on arrival and mid-afternoon plus light buffet lunch with tea and coffee.
® Philippa Langley MBE, writer and producer will be speaking about Prince Edward himself, his life and the great personal loss from his death.
® Matt Lewis, author and broadcasterwill be exploring Prince Edward’s role and historical context, including the constitutional crisis his death caused.
® Toni Mount, historian and author will be discussing the realities of medieval childhood, looking at baby care, early years and preparation for adult life which began at around 7.
Tickets: £35
Tickets can be booked using the form obtained from the Society Secretary at: secretary@richardiii.net.
Thanks to Jane Trump of Richard III Society for the above information.
Click here for the event page at the Yorkshire Branch of the Richard III Society: https://www.yorkshirericardians.org/events.html
Click here for the Castle Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/middlehamcastle
and web page: https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/middleham-castle/
I wish to know what the price will be, for entrance, and if, talks?
Thanks.
Hi Ansine,
So far only the actual dates have been announced with a note that further details will follow later. Keep an eye on the venue’s Facebook page for updates at https://www.facebook.com/middlehamcastle
Best wishes,
Averil
we would love to come to the Richard third festival this year at Middleham Castle and understand it is on 6th and 7th July. Can we buy tickets at the venue or do we have an option of buying tickets before the event. We would be looking for nearby accommodation say 3 or 4 star hotel to make it a special trip for us.
Any information you could send us to help with the arrangements would be greatly appreciated.
We are both in our 80’s. Unfortunately we are not on facebook
Hi Jacky and Mike,
When we went a few years ago you could pay at the Castle gate- but I’d advise contacting the Castle for up-to-date info in case anything has changed. You can get in touch by phone- details on their website give 0196 962 3899 as the contact number.
It’s a long time since I’ve stayed at Middleham (at one of the guest houses just of the Market Place) but you can find information about where to stay at https://www.yorkshire.com/middleham/
There are also some talks organised by the Richard III Society at the church : http://www.richardiiiworcs.co.uk/middlehamposterfestival2024.pdf
So hopefully these links will be helpful- hope you enjoy it!
Best wishes,
Averil
there is no charge for the talks, but please make a donation to the church.