Ingmire Hall, Sedergh

Ingmire Hall
nr Sedbergh
Cumbria

The hall and its attendant buildings lie about two miles West of Sedbergh, less than a hundred yards off the A684 (the main road between Kendal and Sedbergh)

The site consists of a group of buildings reputedly based around the remains of a 16th century tower house. What is seen today is the result of early 19th century renovation and rebuilding by Kendalian architect George Webster, and subsequent redevelopment in the last two years, turning the ‘hall’ into a number of individual dwellings. The hall burnt down in 1928, but the recent redevelopment has turned this site into prime residential property.

Some documents stat that the original tower was at the North end of the site, with a hall range and an additional cross wing at the South end. The tower and all the buildings were said to have been in a serious state of disrepair when George Webster redesigned the site, and the hall had, apparently all but disappeared. The cross wing has been incorporated into the main house\building. George Webster's fanciful interpretation of a pele tower is easily identifiable ….with its tall cylindrical stair tower and overly exaggerated high crenellations.

There is still the old gardeners cottage at the entrance to the hall’s grounds, with its tower and crenellations still intact. This was a later addition, designed and built by George Webster, and therefore has no connection with the original tower and house. Inspection of the site and the grounds, probably in relation to the redevelopment, showed no significant archaeological finds of any kind.

The hall is now in private hands, but a footpath does run along the driveway and through the end of the gardens, offering fairly good views of the pele tower and the rest of the buildings.

Cowmire Hall, Crosthwaite and Lyth, nr Kendal

Cowmire Hall
Crosthwaite and Lyth
Nr Kendal
Cumbria

Cowmire Hall is situated about 3 and a half miles South West of Kendal, and just off the A5074. The Hall consists of a huge three storey house built in the 1690's by Richard Fleming, and an early 16th century pele tower incorporated into the rear of this house.

Approaching the hall from the East, the huge 17th century house is the first visible part of this site. Built to 3 storeys, the house towers above surrounding outhouses, and with its soft creamy coloured facade, it stands out against the greenery. The tower is built onto the Western or rear face of this house, with all but one outer wall swallowed up by the later building.

Probably built by the Briggs family in the early 1500's, this is most likely one of the last pele towers\tower houses to be built in the area. The tower's walls are around 1.25m thick, with perhaps a storey in height missing from the top. The tower may have been built more as a prestige building rather than a defensive structure, much like Skelsmergh Hall near Kendal for example. There is a Cowmire Hall pew in the nearby church of St Anthony on Cartmel Fell, alluding to a connection between the Briggs family and the church. The pew demonstrates the importance of this family in local affairs, being totally enclosed with a screen of single light divisions and decorated to a high degree.

The tower now sits over two storeys, with two barrel vaulted rooms in the basement area. The East wall is completely built into the 17th century external house wall, and it is here that the depth of the walls can be seen. The stair case is a later addition to the tower, probably replacing a spiral staircase. The windows also serve to demonstrate the true thickness of the tower's walls, with the three and four light windows probably being original.

Above. Floor plan of Cowmire Hall.

Whilst some documentation states that the tower has probably lost a storey, possibly with the tower's embattled walls being removed, a drawing by Machel, dated to the 17th century, clearly shows the tower with a gabled roof and still of three storeys. This would, in effect, remove the tower from the 'pele' tower clasification, and force me to see it more as a lightly defensible tower....part of a larger range of buildings....probably built more for prestige than for defence (as mentioned above)

Above. Machel's sketch of the hall and outbuildings.

Machel's drawing also shows the tower as part of a larger group of buildings, with an L shaped building to the right and in front, in which a gatehouse appears to be situated. There is some suggestion that the square-raised garden area in front of the house, could be the original manorial enclosure....originally hidden behind a barmkyn or curtain wall...much the same as Beetham or Nether Levens, although on a much smaller scale.

The upstairs bathroom utilises the original guarderobe that was, until a few years ago, sealed off from the rest of the house. The guarderobe can be seen from the outside as a small projection from the North West wall, with a tiny window, probably once a vent, still visible. These days, after some conservation work on the property, the site provides living accommodation for the owners, rented accommodation in the 'Bothy' in the yard, and premises from which the current owners, the Barratt's operate their Damson Gin company.

The owners were very kind in affording me some of their time to show me around, and to point out items of interest.

The Little Angel, Whitby

The Little Angel
Whitby
North Yorkshire

On the South side of Flowergate in Whitby, sits an unassuming inn called the Little Angel. The inn was probably built in in the latter part of the 18th or early part of the 19th century, but may hide the remains of a 12th century castle. The Images of England web site states that the inn may have some masonry from a 12th century castle hidden away within its core. What it doesn't explain is where this information comes from.....whether or not the masonry is from a castle that was on the site of the present building....or whether the masonry has been bought from another site. There are the remains of two castles to the North of Whitby, not forgetting Scarborough to the South. The two sites to the North are Mulgrave Castle, a 13th century stone castle, and Lythe Castle, an earthen motte and bailey castle. Maybe some masonry was removed from either one of these two sites and used in the building of the predecessor to the Little Angel.

Philip Davis of the Gatehouse web site seems to be 'fairly' happy with the siting of this building as a castle, but there seems to be no information on the internet about its authenticity. When the town was smaller, and not so built up, a castle in this spot would have had a good view of both the estuary and the harbour, and would have been well placed to control both land based and water based traffic.

I have been in touch with Whitby museum to see if they have any further information regarding the rumours of a castle in Whitby. Their reply was interesting:

"We have heard this rumour as well, but do not have evidence to substantiate this claim. It is possible that someone assumes a castle because of the 'soke' at Flowergate in Domesday Book...but since Whitby had an Abbey it is rare for there to be a castle as well." A 'soke' incidentally, was the district over which Soke jurisdiction was exercised, a Soke being the right of local jurisdiction\feudal rights of Lordship over an area. So...it could be that the association of Whitby with a 'castle', could purely be down to the entry in Domesday book, and nothing more. I've also been in touch with the chief Archaeologist at the County Council regarding any architectural evidence for a castle allegedly contained within the Little Angel Inn.....his reply was that he thought it incredibly unlikely that there was any masonry in this building older than that placed there during its initial building in the late 18th, early 19th century. Is this another castle claim blown out of the water?

Castlestede Iron Age fort, Kendal

Castlestede Iron Age fort
Natland

Nr Kendal

Cumbria

The remains of this multivallate hillfort (a fort with more than one bank and\or ditch) lay 185metres above sea level at the summit of the Helm, 2 miles South of Kendal, and a short walk from the A65.

Above. A view along the Helm, looking North East.

The hillfort lays at the South end of the Helm, and is easily accessable by foot from the road below it. The remains probably represent an Iron Age hillfort, with the Northern end of the site protected by two ramparts. These have been created by cutting a ditch into the rock across the line of the ridge. To the East of the field wall that bisects the fort, a rough outer ditch can still be seen.

Above. A view of the flat topped summit of the hill fort with the trig point.

The inner rampart carries right along the Western side of the enclosure, although here there is no ditch. This side of the fort is protected by the naturally occuring cliff.

Above. The inner rampart . This could represent the footings or foundations of a wall.

At the South end of the fort, a single rampart with a wide top defends the summit. From here, the ground slopes downwards steeply, however an oval shaped platuea seems to have been cut into the hill side (as shown above)

The Eastern side of the fort has lost its ditch, possibly through erosion and soil slippage. However, this side of the fort is still fairly steep, so a ditch may not have been necessary.

Above. A view of the fort from the South.

To the South and the North of the fort, and outside of the ramparts, small basins have been found cut into the rock. It has been suggested that these were created to collect rain water. The nearest source being Saint Sunday's beck down in the valley below.

Above. 1908 etching of the hill fort.

In 1908, when the site was surveyed, the survey from which the etching above comes from, it was noted that at the East side of the summit of the fort (over the present day fence) two pits and three shallow depressions were seen. It was thought at the time that these could have been the remains of hut circles, one of which was noted to have been about 40 feet externally. This larger depression is quite possibly still visible on the latest aerial photos of the fort....shown below.

 Above. Aerial view of the fort.

The fort is easilly accessable by following the footpath which runs parallel to the wall across the back of the Helm. However, the descent at the other side is very steep and has to be treated cautiously.

New photos of Kendal Castle

Photos of Kendal Castle,
Kendal
Cumbria

Some new and old photos of Kendal Castle.

The remains of the Great Hall.

Remains of the gatehouse and the Great Hall.

The Great Hall looking across the courtyard.

The North West tower.

The North West tower from inside the moat.

The Great Hall from the curtain wall.

The moat and the remains of a drum tower.

Remains of a round tower, the South postern and the minimal remains of the original keep.

The castle walls as they appear from the Parr street approach.

The North West tower in the snow.

North West tower from the moat.

Kendal Castle from Park Side Road at night.

More Roman forts in Cumbria

Roman forts in Cumbria.

As well as the forts mentioned earlier on in this blog (Galava at Ambleside, Mediobogdum at Harknott and Low Borrowbridge near Tebay) there are other Roman sites in the South of Cumbria, that sometimes get overlooked, as well as a lesser fort recently visited in North Yorkshire. The reason behind this, is that they are rather 'overshadowed' by the structures that are built over them, therefore dominating the landscape in which they lie.

The three that will be mentioned here, are at Brough and Brougham in Cumbria, and Elslack in North Yorkshire. The forts at Brough and Brougham lay beneath large medieval castles, and the Roman remains have been incorporated into the defences of these structures. The fort at Elslack lays alongside the now dis-used railway.

Brough.

The Roman name for the fort that lays beneath the castle, was Verteris. The castle and the fort lay just to the South of the ancient village of Brough, and to the West of the A685. Indeed, excellent views can be had of the castle as you descend into Brough from the A66 as you travel West.

The medieval castle lays along the North side of the Roman fort, occupying around a third of the 3 acre site. The fort would most likely have been built early in the 2nd century, and there is archaeological evidence to suggest that it was occupied well into the 4th and 5th centuries. In the 3rd century, the fort was manned by the VII Cohort of Thracians. In the 4th and 5th centuries, it was manned by the Numerus Directorum, an irregular unit of auxiliary soldiers consisting of around 300 mounted and foot soldiers.

To the South East of the fort, and outside of the protective earthworks, a vicus (civilian settlement) has been found, indicating that the fort attracted local interest both in trade and people seeking protection from the soldiers stationed there. The fort is thought to have been an important administrative centre.

The Roman fort at Brough is not particularly visible from the ground. The public footpath that leads visitors in from the North, hides the fact that the majority of the ancient earthworks are beyond the fence (to your left as you walk to the gatehouse) It's only when you see aerial shots of the castle, that the full extent of the Roman fort can be appreciated. Some of the best aerial photos can be seen here. These photos by Simon Ledingham illustrate the size of the fort, and the amount of earthworks that still survive.

Brougham.

The Roman name for the fort that lays beneath the castle at Brougham was Brocavvm. The Roman complex here consists of a major fort, a civilian settlement and a marching camp (situated about 400 yards North East of the fort and the castle) Both castle and fort sit next to the B6262, and just off the A66. The best views of the fort are to be had from the B road, as it almost exactly follows the course of the surviving Roman earthworks at the South side of the site.

The Eight Legion were known to have been stationed at the fort at Brougham, probably as early as 43AD when the Roman Emperor Claudius led his troops in the invasion of Britain.

A great Roman cemetery has also been found near the site. The cemetery was excavated before the building of the A66 which now completely covers the site.

On the whole, the Roman fort at Brougham has not been excavated to any great degree, so the historical and archaeological record of this large site are scarce.

Good views of the site can be seen from the roadside and also from walking around the castle. The earthworks are very well preserved all the way round with some of the ditches and embankments surviving to a height of around 6 feet in places!! Again, the Visit Cumbria web site has some excellent aerial views of the castle and the fort.

The whole site is open to the public, and managed by English Heritage. The access is such, that both the interior and the exterior of the castle can be walked....which obviously incorporates much of the Roman fort.

Elslack (North Yorkshire)

The Roman name for this fort was Olenacvm. The remains lay just off the A56 and about 3 miles South West of Skipton. The fort lays just yards away from the now disused railway....and it's a wonder that anything of this site still survives. Indeed, walking along the now trackless railway, if you didn't know that there was a Roman fort there, it would go un-noticed. Check out the satellite photo to see how the railway nearly obliterated the fort's remains. (Multi map) Zoom in and select aerial photo to see the fort.

There appear to be two forts overlaying each other. The first was a Flavian Infantry fort, measuring around 345 feet on each side, and occupying nearly 3 acres. The whole site was surrounded by a clay based rampart with stone foundations, somewhere between 16 and 18 feet wide. The fort was protected by a double ditch, with more banks and more ditches providing more defensive obstacles to any would-be attackers. Pottery has been recovered from this stage of the fort's history, dating from the 1st century. It's estimated that the first fort would have been able to house around 500 soldiers.

The second fort replaced the first totally. The clay and stone ramparts were levelled, and a larger fort built over the remains. This was probably done sometime during the 2nd century. The new fort was rectangular and measured around 603 by 406 feet, and occupied around 5 and a half acres. The external ramparts were once again constructed of clay, but this time faced with stone, and about 8 feet wide. It's thought that the larger fort was built to enable more horses to be based here.

Various excavations over time have failed to find the remains of any buildings within the confines of the fort, probably indicating that any that were here, were constructed of timber.

The fort is easily accessible just off the walk that follows not only the route of the dis-used railway, but a Roman road. You can park at the side of the road just down from the pub, and then follow the public footpath onto the railway. Make sure you turn left, and look for the gate on your right. There is a sign here that indicates the presence of the fort. You'll need to walk along side the railway (but in the field) for about 200 yards before you get to where the fort is. Admittedly, it's fairly difficult to see what's what....the site is nothing like Ambleside or Hardknott. Some of the ramparts can be seen very faintly in the field, and slight humps and bumps show where other pieces of the ramparts are. Not much to photograph I'm afraid.

The Flodden Wall, Edinburgh

The Flodden Wall
Greyfriar's Kirk
Edinburgh
Scotland

The Flodden Wall was a defensive barrier built around old Edinburgh soon after the defeat of the massed Scottish armies at the battle of Flodden in 1513. It was built as a reaction to the perceived threat of an English invasion of Scotland. The construction of the wall continued right through the 16th century, but it was a poorly planned and inefficient defensive barrier. During the 'Rough Wooing', Edinburgh was sacked by English forces, with the gates to the city being left opened by drunken Scottish guards (so the story goes!!)

This sad and sorry photo is the only one I have of one of the remaining portions of the wall. This particular stretch once enclosed the whole of Greyfriars Kirk. Now it simply cuts the graveyard in half. As a consequence, one half of the graveyard is within the old city limits....the other is outside. From the middle of the 17th century the wall was dismantled piece by piece, as it was preventing the city from expanding to the South.

In July 2008, whilst building work was being undertaken at the King's Stables end of the Grassmarket, a small portion of the wall was unearthed. This small patch of the wall, now buried beneath the road foundations, has been marked with brass plates so that tourists can see where the wall was.

Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh

Holyrood Palace
Edinburgh
Scotland

Holyrood Palace lays to the North of one of Edinburgh's most famous landmarks, Arthur's Seat. The palace and the abbey behind it are approached from the West along either Holyrood Road or Canongate both streets lined with some of Edinburgh's finest buildings. The palace consists of an impressive complex of buildings dating from various periods, and now used as the official residence of the Queen when she's visiting Scotland.

Facade of the palace, showing the North and South towers.

In 1128, King David I was hunting in what is now Holyrood Park, when he was attacked by a stag. As the animal confronted him, he had a vision of a cross, or a 'rood' between its antlers. He believed he was seeing a representation of a relic of the cross of jesus that his mother Queen Margaret had in her posession. He survived the confrontation, and whilst sleeping the next night, had a dream where he was told to build an Augustinian monastery on the spot he had seen the stag. A guest house was also built on this site, to accomodate the monastery's many visitors.

In 1501, King James IV of Scotland built a Royal palace on the site of the guesthouse....and from this time on, Holyrood as it had become known, became the official residence of Scottish kings and queens. The palace also assumed the role of official residence of the English monarchy after the union of the crowns in 1603. The new palace contained a new chapel along side the monastery, seperate living quarters for both the king and the queen, a hall and a gallery. A gatehouse was also added to the complex at this time, fragments of which are said to survive in the Abbey courthouse.

Replica of Linlithgo Palace fountain.

Between 1528 and 1536, James V of Scotland extended the palace, adding a new north western tower and a new facade to the west frontage of the palace. The new tower was later to become the apartments where Mary Queen of Scots, his daughter, would spend much of her time after her husband, Francis II of France died. It was in this tower that David Rizzio, whom Mary's husband Lord Darnley believed Mary was having an affair with, was murdered....in front of Mary.

In 1567, after Mary's husband Lord Darnley was murdered, Mary married her lover James Hepburn, 4th Earl of Bothwell at Holyrood Palace. Later that year, Mary was imprisoned on the orders of Elizabeth I of England. She was never able to return to Holyrood palace again.

In 1603, upon the union of the crowns, James VI of Scotland also became James I of England. He moved to his new court in London. He visited Holyrood once more in 1617, and the palace then ceased to be the home of the royal court.

In 1633, Jame's son, Charles I was crowned at Holyrood Abbey. It was probably this occasion that prompted Charles to order the refurbishment of the palace, and it was brought back into royal favour. In 1646, Charles gave the title of Keeper of the Holyroodhouse to the 1st Duke of Hamilton and his heirs....a title that has been passed down the generations. The Duke's descendants still hold apartments in the palace even today.

In 1650, during the years of Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth, the palace was home to a garrison of troops from his New Model Army. It was during this time that the palace was damaged by fire. At Cromwell's death, and the demise of the Commonwealth under his son Richard in 1661, Charles II was crowned in Scotland. Between 1671 and 1679, Charles ordered that Holyrood palace be reconstructed and repaired. When the work was done, it became the residence of Charles' brother James, Duke of York, later to became James VII of Scotland, and James II of England.

Main entrance to the palace.

In 1707, the title of King of Scotland ceased to exist under the Act of Union which united the English and Scottish parliaments in a new United parliament. The palace was hence used for the election of Scottish peers to the new British parliament.

When the Jacobite rebellion took off in 1745, Prince Charles (Bonnie Prince Charlie) held court at Holyrood palace. This continued until the rebellion was put down by the Duke of Cumberland, after the Prince's army was chased to its final battle at Culloden on April 16th 1746

In 1768, the roof of the Abbey church finaly collapsed after years of neglect. No repairs were ever made, and the church stands today pretty much as it did then.

In 1822, the palace was again rennovated, this time for the visit of George IV. King George also ordered that the state apartments that had belonged to Mary Queen of Scots should be preserved.

During the 1830's the palace was used as a palace of exile for the Compte de Artois who was the younger brother of Louis XVI, whilst France was going through its revolution. He stayed at the palace for two years, leaving in 1832 for permanent exile in Austria. The palace didn't recover its title of Royal residence again until 1842, when Queen Victoria made her first visit.

In 1922, further rennovation work was carried out, this time to bring the palace into the 20th century. Running water and electricity were two of the utilities added at this time.

If you visit, I'd strongly suggest not just looking around the grounds of the palace and the Abbey next door. The interior is fascinating too, and contains many items once in the possession of Mary Queen of Scots, as well as other members of the English and Scottish royal families.

Carnasserie Castle, Carnasserie

Carnasserie Castle
Carnasserie
Argyll
Scotland

The remains of Carnasserie Castle lay to the West of the A816, about a mile and a half North of Kilmartin, and about six miles South West of Ford.

Built between 1565 and 1572, the castle is a combination of Hall and Tower House, built by John Carswell, Bishop of the Isles, with some remodelling done during the 17th century.

The remains consist of the five storey tower house, three storey hall and a four storey stair tower.

Photo courtesy of John Jefferies.

Castle Tioram, Loch Moidart

Castle Tioram
Loch Moidart
Lochabar
Scotland

The remains of Castle Tioram (pronounced Cheerum) lay to the South East of the island of Eileen Shona, on a small tidal island. From this point, the castle's inhabitants would have been able to control sea borne traffic through the safe waters of Loch Moidart.

The castle was probably built in the early part of the 14th century and was the home of the MacDonalds. There is documentary evidence to suggest that there was a fortified building of some sort on the island some time before this. This early 13th century castle would have consisted of a simple curtain wall, within which would have been a collection of timber buildings. The walls have been built on the bedrock without any foundations! Sometime during the 14th century, the curtain wall's height was increased, and a tower house was added, built in stone against the east part of the curtain wall.

In 1715, during the Jacobite rising, the castle was set alight by the Scots, so that it wouldn't fall into the hands of the Hanoverian forces. Since its partial destruction it has been uninhabited. Although the castle is closed to the public, the island can be accessed and the external walls easily seen when walking around the island.

Photo courtesy of John Jefferies.

Criccieth Castle, Criccieth

Criccieth Castle
Criccieth
Wales

The magnificent castle at Criccieth sits on a rocky outcrop looking over the town below it, and the sea to its south. The castle's past has been affected by both Welsh and English hands, with the original castle being built by Welsh Princes sometime between 1230 and 1240, and later additions attributable to the English. The castle was most likely built by the Welsh, with the prominent twin towered gate house being the defining part of this building. The castle was later captured by Edward I, who strengthened the fortifications, and adapted the twin towered gatehouse so that it could be used as a huge catapult. These fortifications were tested after the castle had been adapted, when it was placed under siege by the Welsh. The attackers were however, unable to prevent supplies being sent to the castle by a sea route, and the defenders held out.

In 1404, the castle was captured by the cheiftan Owain Glyn Dwr. He set fire to it and destroyed it to such an extent that it would never be used as a fortification again. The remains are open to the public.

Check this link out for some more photos and information.

Photo courtesy of John Jefferies.

Dunstaffnage Castle, nr Oban

Dunstaffnage Castle
nr Oban
Argyll

Dunstaffnage Castle sits on the West side of Dunstaffnage Bay, and to the South of Eilean Mor in Scotland. The first thing that strikes you about this 13th century castle, is that it literally sits on top of a huge outcrop of rock. This outcrop is so integral to the fabric of the castle, that the lines of the walls were altered to best make use of this natural defence.

The castle was probably built in 1275 by the Lords of Lorn, either Duncan or Ewan MacDougall. Robert the Bruce captured it in 1309, and in 1470 it passed into the hands of the Campbells.

The castle's walls are anything up to 10 feet thick in places, and ringed with a continuous wall walk. There are three towers built into the walls, standing at the North, East and West, with the 16th century gatehouse built into the West tower.

The castle has been in the hands of the Campbells for over 500 years. It was occupied by them up until 1810 when it was rendered uninhabitable by a fire. The castle is still the seat of the Campbell Captains of Dunstaffnage, and as a symbol of the clan's continued occupancy of the castle, the current Captain must spend one night a year in the Gatehouse.

To the west of the castle, the ruins of a 13th century chapel can still be seen.

Photos courtesy of John Jefferies.