Built for the mighty dynasty of the Nevills, this great fortress stands proud and defiant, its history rolling back almost a thousand years.

King Cnut owned the estate in the early 11th Century and may well have built the first castle here; the present building was begun by John, 3rd Baron Nevill in about 1360. The Nevills were the most powerful family in the north: renowned warriors whose ultimate goal was the Crown itself. At Raby, they built a sronghold of soaring towers and impregnable walls as a symbol of their power.