Carlisle Castle, Carlisle

Carlisle Castle
Carlisle
Cumbria

Carlisle Castle: A brief history.

From the 12th century, to the Second World War, Carlisle Castle has been the centre of military defence and strength at the Northern border of England. The castle has undergone building, rebuilding, repairs, extensions and demolitions ever since its original inception, and at the same time has been bombarded, besieged, attacked, taken and re-taken so many times in its 900 year history.

Above. A view of the South face of the castle.

Carlisle Castle, old as it is, was not the first fortification in Carlisle. The Romans built and maintained a huge garrison from the 1st to the 4th centuries, and for these four hundred years of occupation, Luguvalium was a centre of military strength and civil habitation and trade. After the Romans left in the 5th century, the city that they built remained standing for many years, and the stone buildings and walls that they left behind were used in subsequent buildings and fortifications that the city and crown demanded.

Above. The castle's keep behind the Southern wall.

After the Norman invasion of 1066, the Scots continually harried the Northern towns, launching raids and invasions across the roughly cast Scottish-English border. Carlisle was the North Western frontline defence against these raids, and in the East, Newcastle served a similar purpose. In 1092, William II (also known as William Rufus) entered Carlisle, ejecting Dolfin of Northumbria and his garrison. He brought with him people from the south of England, to farm the lands and to populate the towns and villages. What ever castle that William Rufus built has long since been lost, most probably because it was no more than a wooden structure. 30 years later, in 1122, William’s brother, Henry I, invested in Carlisle’s defences, paying for a stone castle, towers and keep. Between 1122, and 1132, the city walls were completed, and building had begun on the castle’s enormous keep. However, David I of Scotland was responsible for the completion of this ambitious fortification project, and during his tenure of the city, the defences were brought to fruition. David must have recognised the importance of Carlisle as a border city, but his desire to have Carlisle on the Scottish side of the border only lasted until 1157, when his successor, Malcolm IV lost the city to Henry II. From this day forward, Carlisle has remained part of England.

Above. The keep from within the inner ward.

Henry II visited Carlisle on a number of occasions. The first time, in 1158, probably to check over his newly acquired Northern frontier city and its walls and castle. The second time was in 1163. Henry was responsible for the building of the castle’s curtain wall and the Southern gatehouse. The castle now had a double curtain wall, and was logically twice as impenetrable. Malcolm IV died in 1165 and was succeeded by William I (the Lion) Malcolm lead two sieges against the English garrison at Carlisle: in 1173, and in 1174. The siege of 1174 was the closest that the Scots got to re-taking Carlisle again, with Robert de Vaux holding out against the siege until late on into the year. The Scots gave up, and fled back across the border to Scotland, unaware how close the garrison had been to running out of food and water. Henry II again travelled North to Carlisle, this time in 1186. This time, Henry, probably with intentions to stay in Carlisle for some time, had personal chambers built within the castle. However, after his death in 1189, there was an absence of Royal visits, whilst his successor, Richard I, spent ten years away from the city, fighting in the Crusades. It wasn’t until the reign of John, that Carlisle paid host to the king again. Unfortunately, his popularity was such that the citizens of Carlisle opened the gates to Scottish soldiers in 1216, and Alexander II led an assault against the staunchly Royalist castle. King John’s men managed to hold the castle, even after the Southern curtain wall was undermined and the inner gate house fell. The siege was soon successful, but such was the damage done by Alexander’s invading army, that Henry III was advised, in 1255, that the castle was sorely in need of repair and rebuilding.

Above. The huge buttresses on the outside of the North East curtain wall.

From 1296, the opening year of the Wars of Independence, where Scotland attempted to shake itself loose from England’s grip, right through to 1346, Carlisle, much like the rest of the border regions, suffered at the hands of successive Scottish and English raids and invasions, and the general destruction that this period brought with it. The castle was repaired and strengthened, and its importance as a military stronghold grew, especially as the Scots marched South behind William Wallace to defeat the English at the battle of Stirling Bridge (1297) Edward I began to muster his army at Carlisle, in preparation for an invasion of Scotland. Whilst all this preparation and organisation went on, Edward held parliament in the city (1306 to 1307) During government’s stay in the city, the castle underwent some more changes, with a hall for Edward’s household, added to the range of buildings within the protective curtain wall. It was obviously intended that Edward would remain here for some time, whilst he attempted to bring Scotland to heal. Edward successfully led his army as far North as Elgin, taking Edinburgh on the way and bringing the Stone of Scone back with him.

Above. Another view of the curtain wall buttresses.

Edward II had further changed wrought on the castle, mainly making changes to the Royal apartments. These newly changed and rebuilt apartments were housed in a tower at the South East of the inner bailey of the castle precincts, with their very own systems of defences. Edward also had the castle’s ditches re-dug, widened and deepened. He had new, higher palisades erected, and the external and internal gatehouses were further fortified and repaired. He also had Springalds, giant crossbows that could be used to provide castle or city wall defence capabilities, installed on the keep and the Western wall postern\gatehouse.

Above. View inside the Southern moat, looking East.

After the defeat of Edward II’s army at Bannockburn, in June 1314, where a Scottish army of a mere 6000 men, managed to defeat a vastly superior English army of around 20000, Carlisle once again came under attack from the Scottish army, led by Robert the Bruce. With their new found confidence, the Scots laid siege to the castle in July 1315. They brought with them supplies including assault towers, to attack the walls, and all the tools necessary to undermine the outer curtain walls. However, the English garrison, numbering around 500 men, had the weather to thank for the failure of this siege. With almost constant rain, and floods appearing everywhere, the Scottish assault towers couldn’t be used, and tools for undermining the walls were useless. As well as this, the Scots probably lost large amounts of their supplies to the flooded rivers Caldew and Eden. Eleven days later, the Scots withdrew from Carlisle, leaving Andrew de Harcla, commander of the garrison, victor.

Above. External view of the gatehouse.

Edward II was deposed by his brother Edward III in 1327….and subsequently murdered. Edward III visited the city and its castle in 1335, and it was the last time he set foot in Carlisle. Royal interest lay on the European continent now, and as such, Carlisle ceased to become the important military frontier castle it had once been.

Above. Internal view of the gatehouse.

In 1378, it was ordered that the outer gatehouse should be rebuilt, and that the apartments and lodgings be made good. The castle had found a new use, and was to become the headquarters of the Warden of the Western Marches, and also to be the accommodation of the Sheriff of Cumberland.

Above. View of the Tile Tower on the West curtain wall.

The external gatehouse (sometimes referred to as de Ireby’s Tower) was redesigned, repaired and rebuilt by John Lewyn. His new designs for this imposing structure produced an impregnable squat gatehouse that blends in with the surrounding curtain wall.

Above. The Tile Tower from within the city walls.

The city, the castle and its walls received a large sum of money in 1430, which was used to arm the garrison, providing cannons and gunpowder. About this time, and to bring the castle and its defences up to date and into the age of cannon warfare, the Tile Tower was erected at the South West corner of the castle’s walls.

Above. View of the upper floors of the keep showing the huge embrasures.

This tower, built some time between 1452 and 1485, incorporated gun ports, and was designed to give the castle’s defenders a clear line of sight, to the West of the castle walls, to ward of any would be attackers.

Above. Top of the North Eastern portion of curtain wall.

Henry VIII continued this course of action, spending huge amounts of money on the updating of the city and the castle’s defences. With the rising tide of religious bickering throughout Europe, the two major faiths of the day, Protestantism and Catholicism represented threats to all and sundry. The North of England had been a hotbed of pro-Catholic\Papal support, and Henry saw that Carlisle was in desperate need of updating and re-arming, if it was to resist any sort of uprising, whether from English Papists, or from Scottish Papists backed by French or Spanish protagonists. It was decided that the castle could be upgraded to an artillery based defence with some rebuilding, and Henry employed Stefan von Haschenperg draw up designs for the work. The walls were essentially left as they were, but the castle and its curtain walls were altered to enable cannon to be placed upon them. Haschenperg altered the keep, taking away the medieval ramparts and replacing them with gun embrasures (where the inside of the embattlement is narrower than the outside) enabling the defenders to have wide angles through which to fire at would be attackers.

Above. North Eastern curtain wall showing the cannon mounted there.

He also widened the wall walks\ramparts at the top of the curtain wall, so that large cannon could be manoeuvred behind the battlements.

Above. Interior of the armaments tunnel beneath the half moon battery.

Lastly, he built the half-moon battery that lies just beneath the inner gatehouse. This large semi-circular structure was designed to provide the defenders with a last line of defence should an attacking force have made it through the outer gatehouse and into the outer bailey.

Above. The half moon battery.

The ditch in front of this structure would originally have been deeper and wider, and cannon would have been positioned within its confines. Anyone attempting to break through the inner gatehouse would therefore have to first get past this heavily fortified outwork.

Above. Site of Queen Mary's Tower (marked by the redder brick-work)

The castle’s armoury was bolstered with artillery captured at the battle of Solway Moss, when a tiny English force of around 3 thousand men, led by Sir Thomas Wharton (of Wharton Hall near Kirkby Stephen) defeated Scottish forces numbering some 15 to 18 thousand.

Above. Interior view of the site of Queen Mary's Tower.

In 1547 the castle’s magazine exploded, seriously damaging the castle’s keep. The damaged remained un-repaired for several years, and there was even talk of demolishing the keep.

Above. Site of the original castle gatehouse.

On the 18th of May, 1568, Carlisle Castle played host to its most famous guest….Mary Queen of Scots. After her small army was defeated at the battle of Langside on the 13th of May 1568, Mary, wearing disguise, crossed the River Solway and landed at Workington in Cumbria on the 16th of May. She spent a night hiding in Workington Hall, then owned by her good friend Lord Herries. However, the following day, she was arrested and escorted to Carlisle, where she was to spend the next two months in comfortable apartments, but none-the-less imprisoned.

She was then transported on to more secure surroundings at Bolton Castle. Whilst at Carlisle, Mary was allowed to walk the castle walls, attend church and even walk with her retinue outside the castle walls. She also liked to watch her retinue play football in the fields beyond the confines of the castle. Mary’s apartments were situated in the South Eastern part of the castle’s inner court. Here, in a tower that was probably one of the most ancient parts of the castle, and most certainly the original Norman gatehouse, Mary lived in relative comfort.

The tower was demolished in 1834 due to its poor state of repair, and all that now remains are some foundation blocks and the decorative remnants of a stair turret. Part of the surviving wall of Mary’s tower, is actually the original Norman gatehouse, and one single part still shows the grooves into which the portcullis would have been fitted.

Towards the end of Elizabeth I’s reign, the condition of the castle was adjudged to have been weak. It was thought that it could only withstand an attack from an army simply armed with swords and shields. At Elizabeth’s death in 1603, Carlisle Castle’s use as a frontier fortress was in the balance. James I’s accession to the throne was greeted with bonfires and celebration at Carlisle. Those in the area obviously felt that a Scotsman on the throne of a united kingdom meant that the border regions would become peaceful at last. Unfortunately any peace that did appear was short lived, thanks to the vagaries of James’ successor, Charles I.

Charles mismanagement of the United Kingdom he had inherited from James brought about civil war, and once again, Carlisle became an essential military stronghold. The castle was re-fortified and essential repairs were made to the building’s fabric. New batteries were added to the South West and North West corners of the outer bailey, and additional guns were positioned on the Eastern side of the castle’s curtain wall. The re-fortifications were essential and timely, as in October 1644, a Scottish army besieged the castle, dug in, and prepared to wait for the castle to fall. The whole city endured the siege, melting down what precious metals they could lay their hands on in order to pay the defending troops. For eight months the siege continued, and it was only after Charles was defeated at the battle of Naseby, that all hope seemed to evaporate of Royal troops coming to the city’s aid. Charles’s supporters marched out of the city and the castle on the 28th of June 1645, and the besieging Scots entered as victors. The city’s new occupiers took stone from the cathedral, and used it to repair the battered city walls and the castle. They also built a new fort in Carlisle Market, constructing it with bastions and loop holes for small arms to be fired from. With a Parliamentarian victory, and the execution of Charles I, the Scottish occupiers were removed from Carlisle, and in turn, at the Restoration, the return of Charles II to his rightful place on the throne of a United Kingdom, the Parliamentarians were ousted, and the city was once again returned to the Crown.

However, at the death of Charles II in 1685, his brother James II, a Roman Catholic convert from 1668 or 1689, ascended to the throne. His son, James, Prince of Wales (The Old Pretender) should legitimately have been his successor in turn, however, his father the king was deposed and sent into exile by a wary Protestant government. James II’s successors were the Dutch royals, crowned as William III and Mary II. The Glorious Revolution, as it is known, was essentially a bloodless coup, initiated by the government to preserver traditional English values and to oppose James II’s ideals of absolutism. James was exiled to France, and his son, the Old Pretender jumpstarted the Jacobite movement. Carlisle and the North Western border area was from this time forward, the main route that those backing the Jacobite cause would take to try and press their claim. The Jacobites first made their move on the 23rd of March 1708, launching an attempted invasion from the sea, with the aid of French ships, at the Firth of Forth. Their advance was blocked by the English navy. The Old Pretender’s main backers, the French were defeated, and it seemed that the threat to England and its throne was receding. However, in 1715, under the leadership of Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie or the Young Pretender) the Jacobite cause was once again re-ignited and on the 9th of November 1745, Prince Charlie’s army entered Cumberland with the sole aim of taking Carlisle.

It seems that Carlisle really didn’t favour the young prince, but the garrison was in such a poor state of repair and readiness, that it was taken in a mere six days. The main reason behind this easy picking was that Marshal Wade’s army was away from the city, in Newcastle. With the city taken, Prince Charlie decided to leave and march his army South. In the event, he got as far as Derby, before being forced to return to Scotland due the apparent lack of support. At Carlisle again, the Duke of Cumberland caught up with Prince Charlie’s retreating army, and they were forced to find refuge in Carlisle castle. On the 30th of December, after being bombarded for a short time, the Jacobite army surrendered. Prince Charlie had already fled England by this time, making his way eventually to France, where he spent most of the rest of his life.

For those Jacobites caught and taken prisoner at Carlisle Castle, their fate was sealed. A number were hanged or imprisoned within the confines of the castle, whilst others were sent into permanent exile. A group of those imprisoned were subsequently hanged about a month later.

The Jacobite cause was defeated, and the castle was handed over to the people of the city. The castle became simply a backdrop to the city of Carlisle, with no serious threat or otherwise on the horizon. In 1819, soldiers once again actively returned to the castle in response to the growing call for a revolution in England (similar to that in France) and once again the city and castle were fully garrisoned. A period of rebuilding was committed, with buildings being erected in the outer bailey.

The armoury was converted to the Arroyo barracks in 1827.
A canteen was added in 1829, and called Gallipoli.
A barracks was added in 1836, and called Ypres.
A military prison was built in 1840.
A court was added in 1841.

In 1872\73 Carlisle castle became the headquarters of the newly re-organised 34th and 55th Westmorland Regiments. The two bodies were then amalgamated in 1881, as the Border Regiment. In 1959, the castle became the headquarters of the newly created King’s Own Border Regiment, and today plays host to the Regimental museum.

The last time the castle was armed, as a tool of war, defence or otherwise, was during the Second World War, when a machine gun was mounted on the summit of the castle keep.

Carlisle City Walls, Carlisle

Carlisle City Walls
Carlisle
Cumbria

The city of Carlisle was originally a place of importance to the Romans, and went by the name of Luguvallum. It was fortified by them, against attacks from the Northern tribes, namely the Picts and the Scots. The city walls were so immense and strong, that long after the Romans left Britain, there were significant amounts of masonry remaining in place. These remains withstood the ravages of Danish attacks on the city, especially an attack in 875, when the city was laid to waste by their attacking armies. By all accounts, the city remained in ruins for some time, until William Rufus ordered that the newly rebuilt city be surrounded by a strong defensible wall. The remains of the Roman built walls were incorporated into the new defences, and by around 1092, the city had its own garrison and probably fledgling walls.

By around 1122, money for the building of the walls had been supplied, as well as money for the building of a castle. Although the walls and castle were started by the English King and his subjects, it’s likely that they were finished by King David I of Scotland, who for a number of years took possession of Carlisle and even resided there.

The upkeep of the city walls as defences for the city, were mainly paid for by the crown, but a certain amount of responsibility lay with the citizens of Carlisle. Occasional Royal grants were made for repairs and extensions, but these were more often than not insignificant and mostly did not pay for the work that was required. In the early 1340’s, a section of wall was described as being “ruinous for want of repair” and in 1347 another portion of the wall was desperately close of collapsing altogether. Between 1422 and 1426, £286 and 16shillings was spent on the city’s defences (the walls) and the castle.

In 1429, the walls and especially the gates, were so badly decayed, that it was said that if a hostile army had attacked the city, it would most likely have been lost. It seems that the city walls have been a constant drain on finances, and they have been rebuilt, refaced, strengthened and heightened on several occasions. The walls eventually encircled the whole city, culminating in the castle to the North of Carlisle.

Above. View of Carlisle with its complete circuit of walls. 

Above. View of Carlisle. 

These days, all that remains of the walls that once encircled the entire city, are the West walls running along side the railway with the car park in between, and the curtain walls around the castle. The Norman and medieval walls to the East and the South of the city have completely vanished, taken down and built over.

Above. Portion of city walls to the South East of the castle.

Above. Remains of the city walls to the South West of the castle.

There are small portions of the city walls to the South East and South West of the Castle, but these remains are only a few hundred yards long each. The West Walls, the portion running from the car park right around to the South West corner of the castle can be walked, and provide a good access point to the castle to the North of the city, and the shops to the South.

Carlisle City Walls\Sally Port, Carlisle

Carlisle City Walls Sally Port
Carlisle
Cumbria

The Sally Port can be found on the surviving portion of the city walls known as West Walls. The area below this is now the public car park, accessed by turning left at the top of Botcher gate near the railway station. The area below the walls here, is called English Damside, and offers excellent views of the remaining portions of the West Walls, with the cathedral and the Prior’s tower visible in the centre portion.

The walls are listed as grade 1, including the Sally Port and the Sally Port stairs, and date from the late 11th century, when William Rufus, brother of William I (the conqueror) ordered defences to be built around the city of Carlisle in 1092. The walls in this location are built against an ancient river terrace, and roughly follow the course of the original Roman walls. Some Roman masonry is also believed to have been used in the building of the Norman city walls. The Sally Port steps were added to the exterior of the walls in 1813, and were built to provide easy access from the base of the walls to the wall walk above. Unfortunately I’m not able to find a date for the building of this gate.

The Sally Port is now no more than a blocked up, arched recess in the foot of the wall. A sally port is a small secure entrance\exit in a fortified wall. The idea behind this easily defensible doorway, is that it can be secured in the event of a siege, and defending troops can easily exit to harry the attackers.

Carlisle Cathedral precinct gatehouse, Carlisle

Carlisle Cathedral precinct gatehouse
Carlisle
Cumbria

Built for Prior Christopher Slee in 1528 the gatehouse would have protected and controlled the entrance into the cathedral precincts. The gatehouse has variously been known as The Abbey Slee’s gatehouse, Abbey Street Lodge and the Abbey Gate and Gatehouse.

It is built of the locally recognisable red sand stone, and stands at the head of Dean Tait’s Lane, where Paternastor Row and Abbey Street meet. The huge wooden doors that can be seen within the archway are the originals.

Above. Floor plan of the Priory Gatehouse.

From the inside of the precincts, and looking at the gatehouse, an incomplete archway can be seen on the right hand side of the gatehouse, indicating the demolition of some buildings here.

Originally the gatehouse would have had battlements, but these have been removed over the years. Above the gateway, are the Registry offices of the dean and chapter.

Waitby Castle, Waitby

Waitby Castle
Waitby
Cumbria

Waitby Castle is situated about a mile and a half West of Kirkby Stephen, and about a quarter of a mile East of the small village of Waitby. The remains are hidden, surprisingly, on the top of a hill, that overlooks the now disused railway embankments. From the roadside, the fort, for that is really what it is, cannot be seen, so maps and a little guesswork were essential in finding the remains. This involved crossing walls (carefully) and climbing the steep hillside.

Once there, the remains are fairly obvious, and consist of the earthworks and buried remains of an enclosed Romano-British settlement. The fort is an oval shaped structure, surviving as banks and ditches, as well as the earthwork remains of up to 5 rectangular enclosures within the boundaries of the protective banks and ditches. These probably represent the earth footings of buildings. These remains are situated on the Eastern side of the castle.

An inner stone bank separates these enclosures from the Western side of the castle, running North to South, and probably indicates the boundary of the settlement before a period of enlargement was undertaken.

There are also a pair of dykes that run parallel with each other, probably representing a Northern entrance into the settlement. They run for around 80 metres, and are fairly well defined.

Also running through the castle, is around 65 metres of a medieval dyke, which is represents the Northern end of a 2km, possibly defensive, dyke. The site was excavated in 1974, and it was surmised that the earliest period that the settlement was occupied, would have been around 2AD. During this early period of occupation, the whole site would have been defended with a fence and ditch, and there is evidence that the yards between buildings were cobbled.

Sometime in late 2AD or early 3AD, a new stone perimeter was erected, and it's likely that the original outer ditch was abandoned. An outer rampart replaced the ditch, and can still be seen to some degree.

The castle has been slightly damaged in the past by some ploughing, but more recently by the use of tractors. Indeed there is a well defined pathway right through the middle of the earthworks. This site isn't really accessible, as it's off any public right of way.

Aerial photo courtesy of Simon Ledingham. This photo really demonstrates the size and scope of this site. Not only does it show the fort itself, it also shows the dykes running through the earthworks, and the strip lynchets on the hill side.

Church pele tower, Ravenstonedale

Church pele tower
St Oswalds
Ravenstonedale
Cumbria

There has been a church on this site for hundreds of years, and the present, mostly 18th century church, still contains some 12th century masonry. The medieval church that stood here, was connected to a Gilbertine priory, the remains of which can still be seen to the rear of the church. The Gilbertines were the only English ecclesiastical order, and were founded in 1131.

Up until the dissolution of the monasteries, there were 26 Gilbertine houses throughout England. There was probably already a church here when this priory was built, and the manor of Ravenstonedale was granted to the Gilbertine order based at Watton in Yorkshire. There would most likely have been no more than 8 canons and a handful of lay men based here.

The Gilbertines voluntarily gave up their lands and buildings to Henry VIII’s agents in 1538, and were pensioned off, with their lands and buildings passing into Royal ownership. Henry VIII then granted the manor of Ravenstonedale to the Whartons, of Wharton Hall near Kirkby Stephen. It may have been the Whartons that fortified the buildings behind the church, using the ex-priory as an administrative centre for the newly granted manor. At some point the Whartons sold the manor and its lands to the Lowthers, the Earls of Lonsdale.

The church of 1744 was, at times, used as a court house, where the steward and jury of the manor sat in judgment of local disputes and crimes. Prisoners were often kept in the vaulted chambers of the Wharton fortified buildings, the walls of which are over a metre thick in places.

Above. This sandstone door jamb contains one side of a draw bar slot.

The remains were excavated in 1928 and 1929, when the eastern parts of the priory were exposed, with later consolidation work being carried out by English Heritage. It's thought that the North wall of the refurbished church (1744) probably follows the course of the outer wall of the 'pele' tower, and is probably built over the footings of a spiral staircase that would have provided access from the ground floor of the tower to the first and second floors. Indeed, it's possible that the North wall of the pre 1744 church, was actually a component of the South wall of the tower, possibly further strengthening and protecting the building.

Cartmel Priory Gatehouse, Cartmel

Cartmel Priory Gatehouse
Cartmel
Cumbria

The priory at Cartmel was built sometime in the late 12th and early 13th centuries. The gatehouse that lies to the west of the priory, was most likely built in the early 1330’s, and is the only ecclesiastical building apart from the priory itself that survives in the village.

Whether this building can be regarded as a ‘fortification’ in its own right, is difficult to say. The fact that it is a gatehouse, in itself, means that a degree of fortification was present, i.e.; doors to prevent entry without the prior knowledge or permission of those occupying and controlling the Priory’s property and land, and tiny windows on the external walls, with none at ground or first floor levels. This is of course, different to a fortification that was built specifically to defend against raids or attacks. The building is an imposing remnant of the precincts of the priory, which would have enclosed a great area in which the present village is built. At the dissolution of the monasteries the priory was dissolved in 1537, and most of the ecclesiastical buildings were demolished, save of course for the priory, which was and still is the parish church, and the gatehouse, as this was then being used as a courtroom.

The gatehouse housed a grammar school according to records from 1624, and has also been used as a prison. These days, it can be easily viewed from the road that runs directly through its massive arches.

Great Salkeld Rectory, Great Salkeld

Great Salkeld Rectory
Great Salkeld
Eden
Cumbria

The Rectory in Great Salkeld sits South of St Cuthberts just off the village green

The Rectory was built in the early part of the 15th century, with alterations by Thomas Musgrave (Dean of Carlisle) being made in 1674. The oldest part of the building has thick red sandstone walls. This portion would originally have been a two storey pele tower, seen on the right hand side of the photos.

This fortified tower has been much altered, and as with many towers in the region, has lost its flat roof. The front wall (as shown above) the left (now interior) wall, and the right (exterior) wall are all original, thick tower walls, whilst with the extension of the oblong shaped tower to the rear the thick defensive walls here have been removed\knocked through.

The building can be viewed from the road.

Sockbridge Hall, Sockbridge

Sockbridge Hall
Tirril
Eden
Cumbria

The small village of Tirril is about 6 miles West of Penrith, on the B5320. Sockbridge is a small area of the village off to the right.

Above photo courtesy of Simon Ledingham.

Simon's photo shows the layout of the site as it is now. It is thought that the fortified tower that once stood to the right hand side of the building in the foreground, with its attendant buildings and walled courtyard, would have been similar in form to Yanweth Hall near Penrith, although some of the buildings and the tower have long since been demolished, leaving only the gatehouse standing. The hall can be seen immediately to your right, unfortunately just below the brow of the hillside. The building at the forefront of the photo, is the gatehouse (now converted to a house) Built in the late 16th century, it has a small arched entrance (at the left hand gable). The gatehouse is entered through a stone stair case on this wall also. Some records state that there was once evidence for a moat surrounding the whole site...although the evidence has long since been ploughed away.

Above. View of the hall and gatehouse from the roadside.

The building in the background, with the black and white windows, is probably of the same period (late 16th century) but with 17th and 18th century additions. It's likely that this building contains masonry from a demolished 14th century pele tower...but to what extent this original tower still survives isn't known.

Above. Different view of the gatehouse.

It's thought that the original pele tower was built in 1375, but was demolished or partly demolished in 1830, with most of the material 'liberated' taken to Lowther Park to build Buckham Lodge\the gatehouse. It is probable that the hall and the pele tower were built by the Lancaster family....who have connections with the Hartsop family of Hartsop Hall, a 15th century building with the remains of a pele tower nearby.

The hall and the gatehouse can be seen from the roadside, however the view is obscured by farm buildings and as they are below the brow of the hill, only a partial view is possible.

Johnby Hall, Cumbria

Johnby Hall
Johnby
Eden
Cumbria

Johnby Hall sits about a mile and a half North of Greystoke, and just South of the tiny hamlet of Johnby.

The hall sits on the left hand side of the road as you travel out of Greystoke, high up above the roadside. This is another one of those annoying sites, that is surrounded by high walls, bushes and trees. The view from the roadside is therefore a little limited, and there are only a few tight angles from which the hall can be photographed from.

At the very least, Johnby Hall is a fortified house. Built in the late 14th century, with 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th century alterations and periods of re-building, it’s a formidable building, with a wide range of outbuildings of a similar age.

The hall consists of a 14th century two storey ‘tower’ to which a small 15th century tower has been added….a narrow corridor joining the two buildings. During the 16th century, the two towers were further joined, with the outer walls being refaced. Unfortunately, these two towers are to the front of the property….facing away from the road and totally private. The two views shown here are of the rear of the hall, backing onto the road beneath it.

It’s thought that the Johnby family may have built the original tower. The improvements conducted in the 1650’s were undertaken by Sir Edward Musgrave, . The hall was leased to the Williams family. During their tenure, a stable block and a coach house were built. The hall was then leased to the Hasell family in 1696, and then sold to the 10th Duke of Norfolk in 1783.

Check out the Johnby Hall web site.

Hutton John, Cumbria

Hutton John
Hutton nr Penruddock
Eden
Cumbria

Well….this was an annoying site to visit. Typically, the gardens that surround Hutton John are well tended and quite spectacular….however, from my point of view, and with a camera that lacks an x-ray lense (!) they are nothing but a barrier. The pele tower is situated at the bottom of a steep hill near to the small hamlet of Hutton, a hundred yards North of Dacre Beck, and south of Penruddock.

According to plans of the building, the tower, with its thick walls and crenelated roof, can be seen to the left of the above photo...behind the foreground building. The walls of this portion of Hutton John, are shown as about twice as thick as the rest of the buildings around it.

The pele tower (original structure) was built in the late 14th century, possibly around 1353, by the Hutton family. Through the mid 17th, and early 18th centuries, various alterations and additions were made, until, as with many towers in this area, the original structure was swallowed up in the grandness of the building. The later alterations were mostly carried out by the Huddleston family (of Millom castle fame) The hall came into the Huddleston family via the marriage of Marie Hutton in 1564 (god-daughter of Queen Mary) to Andrew Huddleston. The Huddlestons remained at the hall until the 1970’s.

The tower has thick walls made of the familiar local red sandstone. One side of the courtyard possibly still has part of a curtain wall still standing….possibly dating from the 16th century. The tower, that part that can still be seen, still has a few loops visible on the external walls, whilst there are reputedly some loops visible inside the tower.

As with some other local towers (Blencow and Catterlen) the original site of the Hutton’s fortification, was a moated site still said to be visible some 150 metres to the East of the current hall.

Greystoke Castle, Greystoke

Greystoke Castle
Greystoke
Eden
Cumbria

Greystoke is about 6 miles North West of Penrith, and about 2 miles North of the A66. There has been a castle here, or at least a fortified dwelling, since 1353. At this date, William, Lord of Greystoke was granted license to crenellate, in a license granted at Westminster on the 5th of October. This fortified tower, lay at the North end of the Greystoke site, and would have measured about 13 feet by 11 feet. Unfortunately for us, it was mostly demolished during alterations that took place in 1789. The castle passed to the Grimthorpe family, and then from around 1506 to 1569, the castle was held by the Dacre family. The Howard family then took ownership from 1595. The castle was captured by Parliamentarian forces in 1648, and was burnt and severely damaged. From this time, it lay in ruins, until some rebuilding was conducted in the 1670’s, by Henry Charles Howard.

Buildings on the estate were rebuilt further from designs by Anthony Salvin, also famous for work he did on Muncaster Castle and other large country houses in Cumbria. A disastrous fire did much damage in 1868, with repairs conducted by Henry Howard. The grounds around the castle were commandeered by the British Army during WWII and used as a tank driving training range, with the castle and its buildings being used as a prisoner of war camp. During this period, the grounds and the buildings were comprehensively damaged. It took many years for repairs to be made, and the process of bringing the castle to its former glory seems to be ongoing today.

About 200 yards to the North of the castle, the earthwork remains of what has been described as a civil war battery can still be seen. It’s likely that from here, Parliamentarian forces would have fired up on the castle during the brief siege in 1648.

The castle and its grounds are private, and are only accessible by customers of the Corporate Hospitality, outdoor management training facilities and the nearby outdoor activity centre.

Check out Simon Ledingham's aerial photo of the castle.

This is a link to the castle's official web site.

Dalemain, Cumbria

Dalemain

Eden

Cumbria

Dalemain sits at the side of the A592 on the West side of the River Eamont, and about 4 and a half miles South West of Penrith. There is some discrepancy over whether this building contains the remains of any fortification, and such are the extensive rebuilds and renovations that have taken place since the 15th century...it's certainly hard to tell.

Initially, it's thought that the first building on this site may have been a 12th century tower, but there are certainly no remains of this building. What can be seen today, dates from the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th century...with each period of rebuilding and extending adding more character to the house and further masking any original features. The 15th century portion of the house, which can be seen as the central bay of the above photo, could possibly represent part of a pele tower...but could just as easily be the remaining visible parts of the original Tudor country house. Whatever the origin of this site, it's included here for it's regional importance.

According to plans of the building, there are two possible parts of the existing hall that could represent these fortified beginnings. The first is the outermost room, on the right hand side of the photo shown above. This could be a 17th century tower, with the thick walls still remaining along with a newel staircase in one corner. This part of the building has been redressed and incorporated into the later hall so well, that it is now virtually indistinguishable from the newer parts of the building. The second part, is buried deep within the hall, with possibly only one thick wall remaining. These possible tower remnants are undated, and once again, indistinguishable from the later hall.

The house was owned in the 1680's, by Sir Edward Hassell, Lady Anne Clifford's steward. The house has remained in the Hassell family ever since.

The house is open Sunday to Thursday from March to October, and parking and entry to the gardens is free. Great views can be had from the gardens, and from the grass verges along the A592.

Visit the Dalemain web site.