Picturing Pontefract Castle

1 / 2
2 / 2

Click on image to enlarge

Item number: P1997.513

Cartoons drawn by N C Nicholl in 1886. Two pages were entitled strangers in Pontefract where the artist draws himself visiting the town and the castle in particular. On the first page the visitor looks at the bailey with tennis court and grass roller commenting 'dear me what a lively place'. Looking down into the 'magazine' the visitor comments 'looks inviting' to say the least [the trap door of the magazine is surrounded by rustic fencing]. On the second page Nicholls draws himself looking east from the terrace to the Royal Apartments with the rustic shelter still visible on the top. The next sketch shows the visitor between the keep and the kitchen looking at the shield shaped signs which identified different parts of the site, he comments 'King Richard is supposed to have kicked the bucket in this spot, ah!' [This sign was probably based on the steel engraving in Fox's History of Pontefract, which also claims that Richard died in that part of the castle. The last drawing shows the visitor on tip-toes looking through a hole in the keep wall towards Saint Giles and the town centre. This hole was a victorian 'improvement' to make the ruins more picturesque. That origianl wall, having been weakend, later collapsed
N.C. Nicholls
Date: 24.7.1886