Penrith Castle, North East Gateway

North East gateway

Penrith Castle

Cumbria

This gateway into the castle wasn't even the main entrance....and yet the defences built here would have been strong and difficult to circumvent. First off, the draw bar tunnel inserted into the four foot thick wall of the North East corner of the castle, would have provided the door with a strong barrier against which it could be shut. The draw bar tunnel is around 9 inches by 9 inches, providing space for a massive piece of timber.

Above. The right hand side of the gateway, showing the 9 inch draw bar tunnel. 

The thickness of the wall, along with the depth of the tunnel and the size of the tunnel, meant that this would have been a well defended entry\exit into and from the castle.

Above. Close up of the draw bar tunnel in the left hand side of the gateway. 

Above. All that survives of the draw bar tunnel in the right hand side of the gateway. 

The opposing side of the gateway has been much reduced, resulting in the draw bar tunnel on this side being exposed. In the photo above, the door jamb can also be seen.

Above. The stone lintel and the portcullis groove. 

This photo (above) shows what I think may have been the stone lintel upon which the portcullis may have rested when it was lowered. The groove now only exists on one side of the passageway, and only to a height of around one foot.

Above. Close up of the portcullis groove. 

Above. Modern bridge spanning the moat and the remains of the outer gatehouse tower.

Finally....outside of the castle, the moat would have provided a barrier that would have proved difficult to navigate, especially if it were a wet ditch or water filled moat. Standing in the moat, a gatehouse and tower was built, providing control over traffic entering and exiting the castle. The remains of the gatehouse and tower can be seen beneath the wooden footbridge that spans the moat.

Penrith Castle panoramas

Penrith Castle,

Penrith

Cumbria

February has seen me visiting Penrith again....better camera and more of an idea what I need to be photographing to capture the intricacies of this Royal castle. Consisting of three possible building phases, Penrith castle presents us with the fortified residence of a Bishop (William Strickland, Bishop of Carlisle), the home of a wealthy and influential land owner (Ralph Neville), and finally, a castle and home for future King, Richard, Duke of Gloucester.

Above.  The apartment buildings and remains of the North Eastern gate.

The apartments were built along the North Eastern walls of the castle, overlooking the small courtyard at the centre of the collection of buildings and walls. These buildings were built under the tenure of Ralph Neville, sometime between 1396 and 1425 and formed part of the original castle. They are contemporary with the curtain walls on all sides of the castle and the small bridge that would have spanned the moat on the North East side of the castle.

Above. The standing remains of the Red Tower at the Northern tip of the castle. 

The Red Tower, built at the Northern tip of the castle, dates from the tenure of Richard Neville, and would have been built between 1425 and 1460. Apart from some additional internal walls, this was one of the only parts of the castle to be erected during this time.

Above. View of the interior of the White Tower at the North West corner of the castle. 

The White Tower, at the North West corner of the castle, consists of external walls dating from Ralph Neville's tenure, and internal walling from Richard, Duke of Gloucester's ownership of the castle. This complex of smaller rooms occupied the whole of the South Western side of the castle, butting up against the external curtain walls. 

Above. Another view of the apartment buildings. 

Above. Interior wall...about eight feet thick. 

I think these are the footings of all that remains of an internal wall near the Western gatehouse. At this point, the walls are about eight feet thick, with large blocks on the exterior faces, and smaller rubble between them.

Above. Looking North East towards the vault of the Great Hall. 

All that remains of the great hall and the tower that overlooked the North Eastern gateway, is this square platform with a vaulted chamber beneath it. This tower would have been about a storey shorter than its neighbour, the Red Tower a few yards away. This tower was built during Ralph Neville's tenure of the castle, and appeared to have the thickest walls indicating that it was possibly regarded as the centre of the castle's defences.

Above. The North Eastern wall of the castle. 

The photo above shows the exterior walls of the Apartments that were built along the inside of the North Eastern walls. There is a single thick buttress in the centre of the external face of the wall, which may have had a small crenellated turret at its peak.

Above. Detail of the Southern corner of the Apartments. 

The photo above shows the Southern tip of the apartments. Here, a large window has been inserted, most likely at a much later stage in the castle's history. The small overhang near the far right hand side of the wall may have originally had some small open machicolations between the bosses. These are now blocked though.

Above. North East corner of the moat. 

Looking East towards Penrith town centre, the moat survives to a good depth and is very well defined. Unfortunately for us though, the moat only now survives on the North East, the East and a small portion on the Southern corner. 

Above. The castle from the East, inside the moat.

The moat here is about twelve feet deep with gently sloping sides. This would have been a formidable, yet compact castle in its day.

Penrith Beacon

Penrith Beacon

Penrith

Cumbria

High above Penrith, to the North of the town, peeping over the tops of the plantation, Penrith Beacon can just about be seen. The current pyramidal building dates from 1719, and is built on the site of earlier beacons erected to warn of impending attacks from across the border. 

Above. A view of the Beacon from Penrith Castle.

There has been a beacon on this site from as early as 1296, be that a structure holding a fire or a building. Documents from the mid 1400s detail the beacon being used to communicate with another at Dale Raughton near Kirkoswald, around 7 miles to the North. Penrith Beacon could also communicate with Carlisle Castle and a beacon situated on Orton Scar. These days the beacon would be pretty useless, as it is surrounded by trees that equal or exceed its highest point. When the beacon was in use, the hill side upon which it sits would have been treeless.....today, the Earl of Lonsdale has a plantation on the hill sides.

Detailed in this pamphlet, is information on walks around Penrith, together with a map of the walk to the summit of Beacon Hill. 

Millom castle Great Tower, Millom

Millom Castle Great Tower

Millom

Cumbria

Millom castle consists of two separate entities. Firstly there are the castle remains, which fall under Scheduled Ancient Monument protection, and secondly, the Great Tower, which is Grade I listed. The best view of the massive tower can be had from the church yard to the South of the castle remains. From here views of the tower are free from trees and other buildings. 

Above. View of the Great Tower from the church yard to the South of the castle.

The tower was built sometime around 1660, and sits at the South West corner of the castle ruins, surrounded by the ruined curtain walls and other buildings. 

Above. View of the Great Tower from the footpath to the church.

The roofless building to the left of the tower, shown in the photo above, may represent the remains of a 17th century gatehouse. Access to this gatehouse is through a well preserved red sandstone arched doorway. This can be seen in the photo above just behind the blue car.

Above. Another view of the Great Tower from the West.

As well as the numerous more modern windows, smaller, original windows can be seen on all four external walls of the Great Tower...some are still in use while others have been bricked up. The tower now has a double pitched roof, but would most likely have had a flat crenellated roof. A 17th century engraving shows the tower with a ruined or possible unfinished top floor. 

Above. The Great Tower from the churchyard, looking North.

It's most likely that the licence to crenellate, given to Ferdinand Huddleston on the 10th of March, 1622, relates to this portion of the buildings at Millom Castle, though it is now thought unlikely that this is in fact a licence to crenellate at all...a mistake possibly attributable to Curwen's writings in the 19th century. The wording of the 'licence' is as follows "Grant to Sir Thos. Metcalf and Dame Elizabeth, his wife of Nappa, Co. York, and to Ferdinand Huddleston, of Millom Castle and Nich. Curwen, of the Holme, both co. Cumberland, and others, of certain recognzances of 500l. each, forfeited by non-appearance of Metcalf in the Star Chamber; also of all fines in the Star Chamber, forfeiture of lands, &c., on account of the above recognizances" and doesn't really seem to represent a licence for Ferdinand to make any physical additions to his home!

Campbelltown Mote, Nr Twynholm

Arden Campbelltown Mote

Nr Twynholm

Dumfries and Galloway

Scotland

This small hill fort, about half a mile West of Twynholm, took me two visits to find, due to bad map reading and a general misunderstanding of the area. Once found though, I wasn't disapointed. What can be seen in the field by the road, is a small double ditched fort, measuring some 180 by 135 feet, with a summit of 95 by 55 feet. The views shown below, show the North side of the motte, quarried away and quite badly damaged.

Above. The North face of the motte, showing the quarry damage.

Looking at the surrounding fields, it's quite obvious why this site was chosen. It is built into an isolated hillock, with a height of around 22 feet. The summit has been fortified or strengthened with a stone wall or revetment, and there are at least two ditches providing further defence, though these have been quite badly eroded.

The motte is best viewed from the road side, where there is enough room to park your car. The gate was secured, so I'm not sure if access to the field is granted for viewing from other angles. To the North of the motte, and about a mile away, but visible from here, The Doon Hill can be seen.

The Doon Fort, Twynholm

The Doon Hill, 

Twynholm

Dumfries and Galloway

Scotland

The Doon Hill can be found to the West of Twynholm, overlooking Twynholm motte and also Campbelltown Mote to the South. The fort can be seen from both the A75, just West of Twynholm, and also from the Arden road to the South, especially when stood at the foot of the Campbelltown Mote.

Above. View of the Doon Hill from the South.

From a distance, the tree covered hill is fairly inconspicuous, however, when viewed close up, there are still the feint signs of terraces, banks and ditches at the summit. The fort occupies a great defensive position....some 300 feet above sea level, and is one of a number of forts that stretches from Trostrie to the North, Campbelltown, Compstonend Castle Hill right down to another Doon Hill on the Northern shores of Kirkcudbright Bay.

Above. A close up view of the fort.

The summit of the fort measures around 82 by 78 feet. It is crowned by a central disc, defined by a slight earthen bank and the eroded remains of a further double trench and a single rampart. Only from this side of the fort, ie, the South, are the ditches and banks still visible. I'm not sure what the access rights are to the fort, but it can certainly be viewed from certain points around the village.

Twynholm Motte, Twynholm

Twynholm Motte

Twynholm

Dumfries and Galloway

Scotland

It's taken three visits to this tiny village to find the motte, and now that I've finally discovered where it is, I can forgive myself for not finding it earlier. The motte is very badly damaged and so hidden from view as to be almost invisible. 

The motte lies to the North West of the church, hidden behind a line of cottages and shielded from view by a tin shed partially built into the side of the motte. A small wall has been built into the West side of the motte, to enable a path or track to circumnavigate the base of the mound.

Above. View of the motte from Kirk Brae.

The motte most likely dates from the late 1000s or early 1100s, and stands to a height of around 20 feet, and overlooks the Kirk Burn, for which it may have been built to guard a ford.

Above. Another view from Kirk Brae.

Above. View of the motte from across the gardens of the nearby cottages.

The motte summit measures around 47 by 38 feet, and has been truncated and damaged. In fact local documents tell us that the summit has, in the past, been used as a pet cemetery and a garden.

Above. View of the foot of the motte and the low wall built into the base.

The landlord family during the 13th century would have been the de Twynholms, headed by Walter de Twynholm, who was also Sheriff of Wigton and Chancellor and Clerk of Scotland in 1327 and was a confidante of King David of Scotland, regularly appearing in Royal records. 

Duke of Gloucester Inn
Penrith
Cumbria

A recent visit to Penrith prompted me to investigate the Duke of Gloucester a little closer, especially regarding the claims that the building contains the remains of a pele tower.

Above. The rear of the Duke of Gloucester.

Well, it appears that the remains of the tower are actually hidden at the rear of the inn, almost invisible from the road at the front of the inn. The tower has been heavily modified and incorporated into the later 16th and 17th century building at the front. It is of three storeys, and measures roughly ten feet by ten feet. As with other towers in Cumbria, all 'tower' characteristics have been removed. 

Lancaster Castle

Lancaster Castle

I've taken a few more photos of Lancaster and decided to post them here for you, especially seeing as how popular the Lancaster Castle pages seem to be.

Lancaster Castle has been used as a prison since 1745, but in in 2010, it was announced that it would cease to be used as an HMP. Hopefully at some point in the future, the castle will be opened up to the public and it will be possible to take photographs of the interior of the building.

Above. At last....nearly the perfect photo of the John of Gaunt built gatehouse.

The gatehouse was built on the command of Henry IV, as part of an extensive rebuilding of the castle. The twin towers of the gatehouse would have made it one of the most impregnable of its type in its day, incorporating new defensive features that would have been regarded as 'cutting edge' defensive qualities. It is possibly one of the most complete gatehouses of its age in the whole of the UK.

Above. The Well Tower or Witch's Tower.

The Well Tower, also known as the Witch's Tower, was probably built around 1325. It originally contained two wells and stone vaulted cellars, indicating that the tower would have been a self-sufficient part of the castle in the event of the walls being breached....almost a second but smaller keep.

Above. The Keep, visible above the walls from across the church yard.

The Keep is the largest building of the castle at Lancaster, and dates to the 12th century. It was largely rebuilt during Elizabeth the I's reign. The tower stands 20 metres tall, with walls somewhere around 3 metres thick at their base. Internally, each of the four storeys are divided by a single wall, so that each floor contains two rooms. The tower is also known in historical documents as the Lungess Tower.

Above. The Shire Hall.

The Shire Hall was built towards the end of the 18th century, to designs by Thomas Harrison. The hall is ten sided, and houses the courtroom. Records show that a shortage of money prevented the hall from being completed until Joseph Gandy 'stumped' up the remainder of the funds in 1802. 

Above. One of the more recent (1800s) towers.

Lancaster Castle was heavily rebuilt and modified towards the end of the 18th century. Some of the medieval curtain walls and some of the towers were demolished during this period to enable the castle's footprint to be slightly increased, making better use of the space to house further buildings. Between 1794 and 1796, an all male prison was built over the demolished curtain wall, and at this time, an 'attractive' debtors prison was built, overlooking parkland. In 1796, as part of this period of rebuilding, the medieval hall was demolished to make way for the new Crown Court. The medieval vaults still survive and can be seen when taking the castle tour. A huge all female prison was built in 1821, representing the last major rebuilding of Lancaster Castle. As soon as I have some more information regarding the future of Lancaster Castle, I'll post it here.

Lancaster Castle web site.

Roman Bath House and wall, Lancaster

Roman Bath House and wall,
Lancaster,
Lancashire

The scant remains of the Roman bath house and the rubble remains of the wall can be found less than a quarter of a mile to the North of Lancaster Castle and the Priory. The main point of interest for this blog however, are the remains of the wall.

Above. Good view of the bath house remains, and the wall beyond.

The photo above, shows the excavated remains of a bath house, possibly dating from around 367AD, with a fragment of walling visible just beneath the branches of the tree next to the modern building.

Above. Close up of the remains of the wall.

The fragment of wall is now merely a pile of consolidated rubble....all the facing stones that would once have finished the wall have long since been robbed out, leaving behind a stump of wall, representing the last vestiges of a fortification that would have once surrounded the Roman fort here in Lancaster.

Above. The Roman\Medieval(?) wall.

I can't find any reasoning behind the name 'Wery' wall, but it is evident that it started life as part of the Roman fort, and then subsequently may have been incorporated into the Norman fortifications here in Lancaster, and then later still, became part of the early medieval attempt to surround the town of Lancaster with a defensive wall. Historical documents dating from the 11th to the 18th century all mention the Wery wall, indicating its original importance as part of the defences of the regionally important town of Lancaster. Access to the bath house and the remains of the wall is free, and the site is open all day long.

Burneside Hall, Burneside Nr Kendal

Burneside Hall

Burneside

Near Kendal

Cumbria

I first visited Burneside Hall in April of 2005...in fact, it was the first pele tower I'd ever seen and it was probably the building that set me off on this quest to photograph all of Cumbria's towers and castles. So it came as a great surprise when I realised that I had no photos on the blog, and no information about this wonderful old tower.

Burneside lies around two and a half miles North of Kendal. The hall and tower of Burneside sit to the North West of the village, and consist of the 14th century ruins of a large pele tower and hall attached to the East of the tower.

Above. Burneside Hall from Scout Scar (I think!)

Machell's antiquary sketches of Burneside Hall show a three storeyed tower with an embattled roof line. These days it is in ruins, to such an extent that in 2011 it made English Heritage's 'At Risk' register. The tower measures around 13 by 9 metres. The gable walls probably stand to their original height, as does the South wall which borders the hall, whilst the front, or North wall, has largely collapsed down to first floor level.

Above. Plan of the tower and surrounding enclosures, walls and gatehouse.

Above. View of the hall showing the ornamental pond and mound on which the tower stands.

Above. Close up of the tower.

The lower parts of the North wall are formed out of the walls of a former enclosure that is thought to pre-date the tower. Several reports produced regarding the tower here at Burneside make mention of this much older feature, suggesting that the site is much older than the 14th century tower. The difference in building materials can clearly be seen in the photo above.

Above. Early sketch of Burneside hall and its attendant buildings.

The enclose, which lies to the North of the tower, was first recognised in the 1936 RCHM survey. It measured some 11 metres square with walls around a metre thick. It stands in places, to around one and a half metres high, and is pretty much complete.

Above. The well preserved gatehouse.

The gatehouse lies to the West of the tower, and was most likely built in the 16th century, and possibly is contemporary with the remodelling of the hall. The original doors, made of oak, appear to still be in situ, although now not mounted on their hinges. It is thought that the gatehouse has, at some point, been reduced in size, as foundations are visible in the grass to the South of its walls. Whether this was due to collapse or deliberate rebuilding is not known. 

Above. The gatehouse from outside the barmkyn wall.

 To the North of the gatehouse, an 8 metre stretch of barmkyn or curtain wall can still be seen. This apparently still retains a rough parapet walk. This tiny stretch of wall can be seen to the left of the gatehouse in the photo above. 

Above. The tower with the hall to the rear.

There are numerous foundation marks running along the length of the wall near to the gatehouse, and Machell's sketches show a number of buildings built against the inside of the wall. There is also evidence of fishponds and other unidentified earthworks to the West and South of the tower.

Great views of the tower can be had from Hall road, though parking is very tricky owing to the narrow roads.

Below. A small selection of old postcards and prints of Burneside Hall.