Writer Bill takes a bow at castle (From Gazette & Herald)

Writer Bill takes a bow at castle

A NORTH Yorkshire market town is bracing itself for a tourism boost that could see visitor numbers almost double and bring an additional £2 million to the economy after the revamp of a heritage site.

Best-selling travel writer Bill Bryson opened the state-of-the-art visitor centre at Helmsley Castle yesterday after a £900,000 investment by English Heritage.

"The information is very good and very accessible. I've been to a lot of places all over the world and they don't always get it right. I think they've succeeded wonderfully here," said Mr Bryson, who is famous for his travel books, including Notes From A Small Island.

"Obviously this is a fantastic site. English Heritage has brought it to life and I think they've doubled, tripled or quadrupled the amount of pleasure a visitor would enjoy. It's one of the best I've seen."

The author added: "Helmsley is obviously a lovely spot. I've been to Helmsley before when I lived up here.

"What I didn't realise, until we drove up here, is how many wonderful little villages there are around.

"There are some really good looking pubs and I'm sure there are some fantastic walks too."

The castle, which now has exhibitions, audio tours, interactive displays and improved disabled access, is expected to increase its number of visitors from 25,000 to 45,000 a year.

Cheryl Stone, who has been head custodian for 12 years, said: "I think it's fantastic for people in Helmsley and for visitors. Even people who are not particularly interested in history can enjoy it by taking a virtual reality tour of the castle or have a picnic."

David Castle, owner of Castlegate Antiques, said: "It's got to be good news for the tourist industry. It's good news for the economic vibrancy of the town. I've visited several times. It's a great historical monument which deserves preserving and enhancing. It's one of the best ruined castles of its time."

Rare arrowheads discovered at the 800 year-old castle are among the previously unseen relics.

The armour-piercing arrowheads are believed to be a unique find at any English castle and represent an advance in arrow technology.

Andrew Morrison, senior curator, said that the arrowheads were of national importance because they were skilfully and carefully manufactured and copper was used to strengthen the traditional weak link in the arrow.

Mr Morrison said: "So far only two examples of this arrowhead have only been found at Helmsley Castle, and in the wreckage of Henry VIII's flagship, The Mary Rose. That puts Helmsley Castle up there in that league of historically important sites. It seems that arrow technology may have reached its peak in Helmsley, before the advent of firearms."

Updated: 11:57 Wednesday, April 07, 2004