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Visit Conisbrough Castle and climb to the top of the magnificent keep for breath-taking views across the breadth of Yorkshire: from Emley Moor in the west to the docks at Goole in the east. Built on the site of a timber motte-and-bailey castle, the white, cylindrical keep of this 12th-century castle is a spectacular structure. Built of magnesian limestone, it is the only example of its kind in England. Following the demise of its owners, the de Warenne family, Conisbrough Castle rapidly lost its importance. By the end of the 1400s it had been abandoned as a residence and, ironically, it was its state of disrepair that saved it from destruction during the English Civil War. In 1994, following five centuries of neglect, two new floors and a roof were placed into the castle keep, and today it is considered to be one of the finest examples of medieval architecture in Europe. Experience for yourself the atmosphere of this medieval castle, inspiration for Sir Walter Scott’s classic novel, "Ivanhoe”.