THE custodians of a County Durham market town's castle are hoping to exploit its links with Richard III as part of efforts to boost visitors numbers.

Barnard Castle was one of his chief residences between 1476 and 1478 after he married Anne Neville.

As Duke of Gloucester, Richard, the last of the Plantagenet kings, acquired the lordship of Barnard Castle through a parliamentary act in 1474, having been sent north by his brother, Edward IV, to keep order in the north of England.

The castle is to form part of a Richard III trail for visitors to the region, drawn up by English Heritage.

Officials are keen to exploit the renewed interest in Richard since a skeleton found beneath a car park in Leicester earlier this year was confirmed to be his remains.

In 2012-13, Barnard Castle attracted 6,900 paying visitors plus an additional 8,150 who were admitted free of charge, made up of school parties and English Heritage members.

While visitor numbers fluctuate, this was the lowest number in the last four years, with a peak of 18,180 in 2009-10.

English Heritage area manager Clea Warner said as well as Barnard Castle, other locations included in the Richard III trail were Middleham, Conisbrough, Richmond and Clifford's Tower, in York.

“We have done it like that to get people moving round the area,” she said.

“We're really quite excited about the Richard III trail – each place tells you more about the story of Richard and his family."

As well as trying to attract more visitors from outside the town, English Heritage has launched a two-for-one offer for people living in the DL12 postcode area in and around Barnard Castle.

Ms Warner added: “I am here to make sure as many people as possible visit Barnard Castle and one of the things we received feedback on was trying to engage more residents.

“So anyone living in the DL12 postcode can bring a bill along and will be able to bring someone in for free.

“We hope it will encourage more people into the castle.”

The two-for-one offer is only valid when an adult resident of Barnard Castle buys a ticket and does not apply on bank holidays.