is a
Market Town on the
River Swale in
North Yorkshire ,
UK and is the administrative centre of the district of
Richmondshire . Situated on the edge of the
Yorkshire Dales National Park , it is a popular tourist destination. The town was founded in 1071 by the Norman, Alan Rufus, on lands granted to him by William the Conqueror. Richmond Castle, completed in 1086, consisted of a keep with walls encompassing the area now known as the Market Place. The prosperity of the medieval market town and centre of the
Swaledale wool industry greatly increased in the late 17th and 18th centuries with the burgeoning lead mining in nearby
Arkengarthdale . It is from this period that the town's attractive
Georgian architecture originates, the most notable examples of which are to be found on Newbiggin and in Frenchgate.
Richmond is also home to the Georgian Theatre, originally founded in 1788 by the actor, Samuel Butler. Although the decline in the fortunes of theatre led to its closure in 1848, the Georgian Theatre was restored and reopened in 1963, with a theatre museum added in 1979. More recently, the theatre has become the
Georgian Theatre Royal and was extended in 2003.
Richmond Castle situated in the town centre overlooking the River Swale is a major tourist attraction. Based in the old Trinity Church in the centre of the town's market place is the regimental museum of
The Green Howards .
The town of
Richemont in
Normandy (now in the
Seine-Maritime Département ,
Haute-Normandie region) was the origin of the name Richmond. This Richmond was the eponymous fief of the
Earls Of Richmond (or ''comtes de Richemont''), a dignity normally also held by the
Duke Of Brittany from
1136 to
1399 . The constitutional ambiguity of Dukes of Brittany as vassals of both
France (in right of
Brittany ) and
England (in right of Richmond) was the source of much tension in Breton history, particularly during the great
Breton War Of Succession . Richmond was also the first title held by
John Of Gaunt, 1st Duke Of Lancaster , who began the
House Of Lancaster . Richmond was held perpetually by those with Lancastrian titles, until the
17th Century when the
Duke Of Richmond was from the
Lennox Line In The Royal House Of Stuart , also whose titles were linked intrinsically with the
Auld Alliance . When this branch became extinct, the title was reconferred on an illegitimate son of
Charles II , whose descendants continue to hold the title.
Richmond has been used as a filming location for a significant number of TV programmes & films including
The Fast Show , Harry,
Century Falls and
All Creatures Great And Small amongst others.
Fresh Radio , the local radio station for the
Yorkshire Dales , broadcasts programmes from studios in Richmond.
There have been many places around the world named Richmond after the town. See
Richmond (disambiguation) for a list.
- Richmond Guide - A leading site for Richmond North Yorkshire & the Dales .
- Richmond Online .
- [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/NRY/Richmond/RichmondHistory.html A History of Richmond : edited from Langdale's Yorkshire Dictionary (1822) and Baine's Directory of the County of York (1823)].
- [http://www.genuki.org.uk/big/eng/YKS/Misc/Books/RichmondGuide/RichmondGuideContents.html Robinson's Guide to Richmond :(1833)].
- [http://www.richmondancestry.org/richmond_history.shtml A Brief History of the Town of Richmond, Yorkshire, England]
- Fresh Radio .
