A ruined fortress's reputation is rebuilt

Today all that remains of the Wakefield fortress is a ruin – a section of wall, a well and a ditch, barely enough to spark the imagination even for those well versed in its bloody history.

Now, 500 years after the death of the Duke, a team has brought Sandal Castle to life using the latest computer technology to show just how impressive a fortress it once was.

Led by maths teacher John Fox, the researchers have recreated Sandal as it stood in the 15th century and charted its development from the Norman Conquest.

Mr Fox says accounts of the Battle of Wakefield during the Wars of the Roses suggested Sandal Castle was unimpressive and small.

He said: "Accounts of the Battle of Wakefield give the impression that Sandal was more like the Alamo than the Tower of London. Nothing could be further from the truth.

"Covering a site equivalent to two football pitches, Sandal had a keep with four towers rising 80ft into the air. The entrance was guarded by elegant defences only found elsewhere at the Tower of London."

In 2007 the Fox family business, based in Neston in Cheshire, released a DVD on Richard III and Middleham Castle in Wensleydale, North Yorkshire.

Mr Fox's son Joseph and daughter Abigail have since spent the past two years bringing Sandal Castle back to life, using computer graphics to give a realistic impression of the building it once was.

"Before visiting Sandal Castle for the first time we had seen photos of its ruinous state but nothing could have prepared us for how little of the castle remains," said Abigail.

"Having followed the map from Cheshire through to Wakefield, the site itself was so inconspicuous we almost missed the turn for the castle car park.

"Once walking onto the site, our surprise only increased. It was almost impossible to imagine a castle of any size. The land was boldly sculpted but the stubborn fragments of castle left standing seemed out of place, out of time."

The view of Wakefield itself was "unexpectedly beautiful", making it hard to imagine the bloody events of the battle.

She added: "A crucial battle seems to have been buried along with the castle. Only by restoring Sandal in its true glory could we do justice to the courage and agony of that battle."

Using as many sources as they could find, including archaeological records and Tudor surveys, the team re-created a detailed 3D picture of Sandal Castle, inside and out.

"The ruin that exists on the site today is transformed into a fortress of vast proportions with formidable defences," Ms Fox added.

Their history DVD on Sandal also tells the story of how the battle unfolded and led to the deaths of Richard, his 17-year-old son and son-in-law.

The victorious Lancastrians put Richard's head on a pike and displayed it in York, complete with a paper crown.

After working on the Sandal project for two years it is clear that studying the period is a labour of love for John Fox.

Asked why the team chose to spend so much time and energy on this one event, he said: "The historical consensus is that Richard Duke of York was a fool who led his men in the medieval equivalent of the Charge of the Light Brigade.

"This ignores the English Chronicle of 1471 which states that he was betrayed by his nephew, John Lord Neville, who raised 8,000 men to fight with the Duke but then changed sides in the middle of the battle.

"Neville was working with the Duke's enemies from the start. Richard's failing was that he was too trusting, like his youngest son (who later became) King Richard III."

The DVD is available from www.loyaltybindsme.com

COUNTY RECORD IN TOURISM AWARDS

Yorkshire has achieved a record seven finalists at a prestigious national tourism awards.

The finalists in the Enjoy England Awards for Excellence, organised by VisitEngland, include The Railway Children performance by York Theatre Royal, Lebberstone Touring Park in Scarborough, Ripley Castle, the Crown Spa Hotel at Scarborough and Green's fish restaurant in Whitby.

The finalists are winners from the White Rose Awards, held in October. The national winners will be announced in April.