Market town muse
In the latest in our series on Yorkshire’s towns, Chris Bond looks at Richmond whose Georgian heyday made it a magnet for artists,
writers and the wealthy. Pictures by James Hardisty.
mind’s eye he’s had to elevate himself in the air to do this because of the way the river bends.”
The area continues to beguile artists, intrigued as they are by a landscape that would no doubt still be recognisable to Turner today.
Perhaps Richmond’s greatest cultural asset, though, is the Georgian Theatre Royal. Opened by local impresario Samuel Butler in 1788 it is the UK’s oldest working theatre still in its original form.
The structure and shape of the auditorium has changed little over the past 230 years and glimpsing it for the first time still has the power to take your breath away.
It is an architectural gem and an invaluable part of our country’s theatrical heritage.
The Georgian period may have been Richmond’s golden era, but the town’s origins lay much further back in the mists of time. And it was the Normans, rather the Romans, who were behind is early development.
The word Richmond comes from the Norman ‘RicheMont’ meaning Strong
Hill and the town as we know it today began in 1071, when Alan Rufus, who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England, built a castle on a defensive site deliberately chosen on a steep hill above the fast flowing river.
It was intended as a status symbol of Norman authority (and to subdue any locals who might have felt rebellious), and is among the oldest stone-built castles in England.
Most early Norman castles had earth ramparts and timber buildings, whereas Richmond’s outer curtain wall and the great hall in the corner were made from stone from the start. It was built as the base of the vast Honour of Richmond, making it the equivalent of the headquarters of a major corporation today.
The town developed around the castle (its market place was once the castle’s outer bailey) with two key suburbs, Newbiggin and Frenchgate. It became an important regional centre in the medieval period, when royal charters were granted, giving the rights to hold markets and fairs, some of which lasted for several days.
During the 18th century the town became the base of the North York Militia. Officers were drawn from the local gentry, and people were attracted by the assemblies and balls put on when the annual muster was taking place, which was another reason for the town’s fashionable status.
These military links still exist today in the shape of the Green Howards Regimental Museum housed