Middleham, home of Kate Walton Racing

Situated in Wensleydale, nestling on the hillside between the River Cover and the River Ure just 2 miles from the busy little market town of Leyburn is Middleham. With its magnificent castle ruins towering over clusters of old grey stone cottages, fine old Georgian and Victorian houses and its two cobbled market squares, Middleham is steeped in history.

Middleham is known mostly for three things:
its connection with King Richard the Third
its magnificent Castle (King Richard`s childhood home) with the largest keep in the North of England
and, more recently, its horseracing industry.

There has been a settlement here since Roman times and Middleham is mentioned in the Doomsday Book when its name was `Medelai`.

The view from the edge of the Low Moor shows the magnificent outline of the great castle. During the reign of King Richard III, Middleham was known as the 'Windsor of the North'. One of the earliest most influential inhabitants of the castle was Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick, also known as 'The Kingmaker' who, during the Wars of the Roses held both Edward IV and Henry VI prisoner at Middleham. It was in 1462 that a young Richard, (then Duke of Gloucester) first came here to learn the skills of war in the care of Warwick. It was here that Richard met his future wife Anne Neville (Warwick's daughter), they married in 1472.

Middleham is now more commonly associated with horseracing. It is a perfect base with fantastic gallops and facilities continually improving and many racecourses within a couple of hours drive. The growth of the racing industry began in Georgian times which saw the rebuilding of much of Middleham and the establishment of the first recorded racehorse trainer, Isaac Cape around 1765. Race meetings were regularly held on the High Moor during the 18th Century. After disputes between trainers and local gait owners (landowners with grazing rights on the moorland), the last race to be held on the High Moor was in June 1873.

Since then the High Moor has only be used for training racehorses. Horseracing had become an important part of Middleham's life and the story of famous trainers settling here and sending out winners across the country had begun. One such trainer was Kate's father, Sam Hall, who won the Ayr Gold Cup, Ebor Handicap, The Yorkshire Cup, the November Handicap, the Csarewitch, the Lincoln Handicap and the Royal Hunt Cup to name a few. With up-to-date facilities Middleham continues to develop and prosper as a leading centre for racehorse training.


There are various places of interest surrounding Middleham such as The Forbidden Corner, The Wensleydale Creamery, Brymor Ice Cream Parlour and many more. Located on the edge of the Yorkshire Dales, Middleham boasts spectacular countryside ideal for walking, wildlife, photography, shooting and fishing.