What to See in Richmond - Top Sights and Attractions

Remains of Richard III's childhood home. Middleham Castle is a ruined castle in Middleham in Wensleydale, in the county of North Yorkshire, England. It was built by Robert Fitzrandolph, 3rd Lord of Middleham and Spennithorne, commencing in 1190. The castle was the childhood home of King Richard III, although he spent very little of his reign there. The castle was built to defend the road from Richmond to Skipton, though some have suggested the original site of the castle was far better to achieve this than the later location. After the death of King Richard III the castle remained in royal hands until it was allowed to go to ruin in the 17th century. Many of the stones from the castle were used in other buildings in the village of Middleham.^[2]

The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Richmond, is the Anglican parish church in the town of Richmond in North Yorkshire, England. Previously, there was another church, the Church of the Holy Trinity, which served as a chapel, and in the early part of the twentieth century, it was officiated over by the incumbent of St Mary's. In the 1960s, Holy Trinity was deconsecrated and now serves as the Green Howards' museum in the town.

The patronage of the church was originally given to the monks of St Mary's Abbey in York, then at the Dissolution, it was offered to the Crown. Later, it was in the possession of the Bishop of Chester as part of the Diocese of Chester. It is now in the Diocese of Leeds. The churchyard at St Mary's has a plague pit and the graves of two soldiers from Waterloo, and it also used to house the original Richmond School building.

The church and its surrounds are built on a hill that slopes down to the River Swale on the eastern side of the town.

St Mary's has been subjected to several renovations, most notably in the 19th century, and is now a grade II* listed building.^[4]

Museum in Richmond, England. The Richmondshire Museum is a museum located in Richmond in North Yorkshire, England.

The Museum Trust was founded in 1974 by the Soroptimists of Richmond and the Dales; the Museum opened in 1978 in a former joiner's workshop, and has expanded its collections ever since.

The Museum incorporates a reconstructed cruck house, which contains a collection of domestic bygones. There is a Leadmining Gallery, which details the industry which flourished in Swaledale and the North Yorkshire Dales until the end of the nineteenth century. The Transport Gallery has a model of Richmond Railway Station. Another room contains the Herriot Set from the BBC's All Creatures Great and Small, and Barker's Chemist's Shop. The Wenham Gallery covers the history of Richmond and district. In 2008 the Museum opened a recreation of the Richmond grocer's shop where the founder of the Fenwick department store chain began his working life. Next to this there is a recreation of an ironmonger's shop and the Museum also houses the old post office from nearby Grinton.

The Museum also boasts a purpose built Discovery Centre that can be used by both schools and visiting families. Here visitors can dress up and play in the mock up shop and with bygone toys; this room also houses the Museums Wednesday Workshops which are free activity sessions for families.^[7]

Theatre in Richmond, England. The Georgian Theatre Royal is a theatre and historic Georgian playhouse in the market town of Richmond, North Yorkshire, England. It is among the oldest of Britain's extant theatres.

It was built in 1788 by the actor-manager Samuel Butler (1750–1812), and his first wife Tryphosa Butler (nee Brockhill) and was one of his circuit of theatres, the others being located in Beverley, Harrogate, Kendal, Northallerton, Ripon, Ulverston and Whitby, though none of these are now open. After Tryphosa's death in 1797 he married Francis Maria Jefferson. After Samuel's death the theatre was run by his widow and later their son, Samuel William Butler. Regular performances at the theatre continued until 1830, when performances became less frequent and in 1848 it was let as an auction house. The Georgian Theatre Royal was reopened by a non-profit trust in 1963, it was expanded in 1996 and had major restoration works, including the addition of a museum, costing £1.6 million in 2002, reopening once again in 2003. August 2016 saw the opening of The Georgian Theatre Royal Experience, a museum detailing the history of the theatre and displaying artefacts from the theatre's collection, as well as The Woodland Scene, reported to be the oldest surviving stage scenery in the world. In addition, the Paul Iles Learning Centre was reopened following extensive renovation, and now houses The Georgian Theatre Royal Youth Theatre as well as many events including volunteer open days, book groups and costume making sessions.^[9]