The name Conisbrough is derived from the Old English word Cyningesburh, which means King’s Stronghold, reflecting the town’s importance to the Anglo-Saxons. Its later importance to the Normans is less subtly represented: Conisbrough’s defining feature is its castle, the ruins of which tower over the surrounding houses. Were it located in the Peak District rather than in the overlooked hinterlands of South Yorkshire, it would undoubtedly be an even bigger tourist attraction than it currently is. Certainly, it has long been famous: it inspired a similarly-named castle in Sir Walter Scott’s classic novel Ivanhoe.
Conisbrough Railway Station opened in 1849 on a site slightly further east and moved to its current location in 1884. Leave the station via a path from the eastbound platform and walk past a pair of stainless steel sculptures named the Egg and the Fund Raising Tree, both of which were commissioned when the now defunct Earth Centre opened on the site of the Cadeby and Denaby collieries on the other side of the River Don. The Earth Centre was boldly heralded as an exciting new opportunity for education and entertainment when it opened in 1999. With a focus on environmental issues and sustainability it was perhaps ahead of its time: despite the funding ploughed into it and a handful of awards lavished upon it, it met with a lukewarm response from the public and closed in 2004. Part of it has reopened as a rather more modest outdoor centre, whilst its car park is destined for the construction of houses.
Continue past the Egg and the Fund Raising Tree and follow a track across a bridge over the river to reach the gates of the former Earth Centre, then turn right and bear right again along a path running through trees. This soon bends left and joins the Trans-Pennine Trail, at which point turn right and follow this to Conisbrough Viaduct. This impressive disused railway bridge has twenty-one arches and contains more than 15 million bricks; it opened in 1909 as part of a link between the Hull & Barnsley Railway and the Great Northern and Great Eastern Railways and closed in 1965. After years of locals (and visiting hikers) undoubtedly taking an unofficial shortcut across it, the route across the bridge was converted into a cycleway in 2010 and is now part of the Trans-Pennine Trail. Follow the path across the viaduct, and on reaching the far side turn right and follow footpaths through woods, eventually reaching Windgate Hill. When this ends at a junction, turn left past the former Castle Inn (which was the oldest pub in Conisbrough prior to its closure) and walk up Minneymoor Hill, shortly turning right to follow a footpath alongside Kearsley Brook.
Turn right across the brook at the first footbridge, and follow the path upstream, then at a junction, cross back across the brook, and continue uphill to Mill Piece. This is the site of a former sawmill, and a rather lovely green space tucked away next to the base of the castle. The old mill pond that once provided water for the sawmill is located at the top of the path; walk clockwise around this to reach Low Road. Cross this and enter Coronation Park, turning left and following a path between the War Memorial and a set of stocks to reach Castle Hill. Turn right and follow this uphill, then turn right through a kissing gate into the grounds of Conisbrough Castle. The castle was originally constructed in the eleventh century by William de Warenne, a Norman nobleman who fought under William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings. As was usually the case with whacking great Norman castles, it was originally built out of wood and was later rebuilt in stone, in this case during the twelfth century. It passed in and out of different ownerships after that and had fallen into ruin by the 16th century. It is now owned by English Heritage and an entry fee applies if you want to explore the castle ruins (including its impressive keep), which is well worth doing if time allows.
Turn left and follow a footpath past the Castle’s visitor centre (from which admission tickets and the obligatory English Heritage Guide Book can be purchased), then bear left to return to Castle Hill. Cross straight over and follow Castle Street, which bends left and becomes Church Street. To the left along High Street is the Priory, which despite its name is a house dating from 1810. Continue along Church Street, passing St. Peter’s Church, which possibly dates from c.750 and may have been endowed by King Oswy of Northumbria; it so, it is the oldest intact building in South Yorkshire, further cementing Conisbrough's reputation as one of the area’s most historically significant towns. Take another detour to the right along Wellgate to a view a medieval well cover, which is protected by iron railings; this small stone structure is a relatively modest Grade II-listed building, which in my opinion numbers amongst South Yorkshire’s great architectural curiosities. Further along Church Street, Cromwell’s public house on the left is the former Old Hall, which dates from the seventeenth century and was originally a farmhouse.
Turn left along West Street, shortly passing the Alma Inn on the left as we enter Conisbrough’s tiny town centre. At the next junction, the former Eagle & Child public house can be seen on the right; walk past this and then turn right along Beech Hill, then turn left and follow a path downhill to Chapel Lane. The Wesley Chapel, which dates from 1876, can be seen on the opposite side of the road. Follow Chapel Lane, then just after it turns left and becomes March Gate, turn right and follow Holywell Lane to Sheffield Road. Turn left and then right into Pigotts Park; just along Sheffield Road at this point is the Red Lion public house, which is now the oldest public house in Conisbrough following the closure of the Castle Inn.
Bear right and follow a path along the bottom of Pigotts Park, continuing straight ahead through a gap in a hedge and then bearing left to cross a bridge over Kearsley Brook. Follow the path to the left alongside the brook: unfortunately, this is a rather muddy, neglected footpath in an area that – at least when I last visited – seems to suffer from a degree of fly-tipping. When the path ends at Kearsley Lane (itself a rather muddy track) turn right and follow it back to Sheffield Road, then turn left and immediately right again into Ellershaw Road. At a crossroads, turn right along Park Road, and at another crossroads turn left along St Peter’s Road. At the end, turn left along Daylands Avenue, then take the next right to follow Conan Road until it ends at Old Road. This area of Conisbrough is a post-war housing estate and one that has managed to retain its original pub, the Lord Conyers Hotel, which can be seen on the opposite side of the road.
Turn right and follow Old Road past the Miners Welfare Recreation Ground on the left. Shortly, pass Conisbrough Baptist Church on the right, soon followed by a mining monument created in memory of the men who died in the Cadeby and Denaby collieries. Turn left opposite the monument along North Cliff Road and shortly after passing the junction with Norwood Road on the right, turn right to follow a public footpath past allotments. When the path ends at a junction, turn left and follow it downhill, eventually reaching the end of Windsor Road. Turn right down this to reach Doncaster Road, then turn right again, passing a nineteenth century milepost at the side of the pavement. Just after this, then cross over and turn left to follow the station approach back to Conisbrough station.
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