Castles of England/Cumbria

Cumbria has perhaps more castles than any other county of England, a result of its proximity to the Scottish border.

Name	Type	Date	Condition	Ownership / Access	Notes (Key)
Appleby Castle	Keep and bailey	110112–17th century	Restored	Private	Restored 17th century by Lady Anne Clifford.
Armathwaite Castle	Tower house	140115th century	Intact	Private	Incorporated in later buildings.
Arnside Tower	Tower house	140115th century	Ruins	Private	Freestanding tower house.
Askerton Castle	Castle	130114–16th century	Restored	Private, farm	Altered by Anthony Salvin.
Beetham Hall	Fortified manor house	130114th century	Partly ruined	Private
Bewcastle Castle	Courtyard castle	130114–15th century	Fragmentary ruins	HC	Sited within Roman fort.
Bewley Castle	Fortified manor house	120113–14th century	Fragmentary ruins	Private	Once a residence of the Bishops of Carlisle.
Blencow Hall	Fortified house	140115–16th century	Intact	Holiday accommodation	Altered 1590.
Brackenburgh Old Tower	Pele tower	130114–15th century	Substantially intact	Private	Adjoining large 19th century house.
Brackenhill Tower	Tower house	15861586	Intact	Holiday accommodation	Restored 21st century.
Branthwaite Hall	Pele tower	130114–15th century	Intact	Private	160117th century additions.
Brough Castle	Keep and bailey	100111–14th century	Ruins	EH	Restored 1659–62 by Lady Anne Clifford.
Brougham Castle	Keep and bailey	120113–14th century	Ruins	EH	Converted into country house in 17th century by Lady Anne Clifford.
Brougham Hall	Fortified manor house	120113–19th century	Ruins	Crafts centre	Ruins of 19th century house incorporating remains of earlier building.
Broughton Tower	Pele tower	130114th century	Intact	School	Incorporated in later building.
Burneside Hall	Tower house	130114th century	Ruins	Private
Carlisle Castle	Keep and bailey	110112–15th century	Substantially intact	EH	Converted to barracks 19th century.
Catterlen Hall	Tower house	140115th century	Intact	Private	Later additions.
Clifton Hall	Pele tower	150116th century	Substantially intact	EH	Used as a farm building until 1973.
Cockermouth Castle	Enclosure castle	120113–14th century	Partly restored	Private residence	1919th century additions.
Corby Castle	Tower house	120113th century	Rebuilt	Private residence	Concealed within a Georgian Mansion House.
Dacre Castle	Tower house	130114th century	Restored	Private residence	Restored 17th and 19th centuries.
Dalston Hall	Fortified house	140115th century	Intact	Hotel	Later additions.
Dalton Castle	Pele tower	130114th century	Restored	ENT	Remodelled c.1704 and 1856.
Drawdykes Castle	Tower house	130114th century	Intact	Private, farm	Original tower with early Classical Revival facade.
Drumburgh Castle	Tower house	130114th century	Habitable	Private	Converted into farmhouse.
Egremont Castle	Enclosure castle	110112–13th century	Fragmentary remains	EH
Gleaston Castle	Enclosure castle	130114th century	Fragmentary remains	Private	Abandoned late 15th century.
Greystoke Castle	Castle	130114–19th century	Rebuilt	Wedding venue	Rebuilt incorporating parts of 14th century building, remodelled 1840 by Salvin.
Harbybrow Tower	Pele tower	140115th century	Ruin	Private	Adjoining 19th century farmhouse.
Hayton Castle	Tower house	130114–15th century	Substantially intact	Private	Castle converted to house.
Hazelslack Tower	Pele tower	130114th century	Ruins	Private	Near Arnside.
Howgill Castle	Tower house	130114th century	Substantially intact	Private	Altered and remodelled 17–18th century.
Hutton-in-the-Forest	Pele tower	130114–19th century	Intact	HH	Large country-house extensions.
Hutton John	Pele tower	130114th century	Intact	HH	Later alterations and additions.
Ingmire Hall	Pele tower	150116–20th century	Rebuilt	Private apartments	Incorporated in large mostly 19th century mansion.
Isel Hall	Tower house	130114–15th century	Intact	HH	Later additions.
Kendal Castle	Ringwork	110112–14th century	Fragmentary remains	HAL
Kentmere Hall	Pele tower	130114th century	Intact	Private
Kirkandrews Tower	Pele tower	150116th century	Intact	Private
Kirkoswald Castle	Enclosure castle	120113–15th century	Fragmentary remains	Private
Linstock Castle	Tower house	110112–13th century	Substantially intact	Private	Altered and remodelled 17–20th century.
Lowther Castle	Neo-romantic castle	18061806–14	Ruins	HH	Shell of 19th century castle by Sir Robert Smirke, on site of medieval hall.
Middleton Hall	Fortified manor house	130114th century	Habitable	Private	Altered and extended 15–19th centuries.
Millom Castle	Castle	130114th century	Ruins	HC	150116–17th century farmhouse built into ruins.
Muncaster Castle	Tower house	120113–14th century	Restored	HH	Remodelled by Anthony Salvin, home of Tom Fool, 16th century jester.
Naworth Castle	Keep and bailey	120113–16th century	Restored	Wedding venue Earl of Carlisle	Altered and restored 18th and 19th centuries.
Newbiggin Hall	Fortified house	140115–16th century	Intact	Private	Remodelled by Salvin.
Pendragon Castle	Tower house	110112–14th century	Fragmentary remains	HC
Penrith Castle	Castle	130114–15th century	Fragmentary remains	EH
Piel Castle	Castle	130114–15th century	Ruins	EH	Also known as Fouldrey Castle.
Prior's Tower, Carlisle	Pele tower	140115th century	Intact	Church of England	Part of the Deanery, alongside later buildings.
Rose Castle	Quadrangular Castle	140115–16th century	Restored	Church of England	Converted to private house 17th century, residence of the Bishop of Carlisle until 2011.
Scaleby Castle	Tower house	120113–15th century	Partly ruined	Private	Incorporated with later house.
Sizergh Castle	Tower house	130114–16th century	Restored	ENT	Altered 18–20th centuries.
Toppin Castle	Sham castle	1919th century	Intact	Private	Imitation tower house.
Ubarrow Hall	Pele tower	1401Medieval	Substantially intact	Private	Alongside later building, reduced in height.
Wharton Hall	Fortified manor house	130114–17th century	Partly restored	Private
Whelp Castle, Kirkby Thore	Masonry castle	Mentioned 1199	No trace above ground	Private field	Traces visible 1777
Whitehall, Mealsgate	Tower house	130114–15th century	Substantially intact	Holiday accommodation	Alterations by Salvin.
Workington Hall	Tower house	130114–18th century	Ruins	Local authority	Also known as Curwen Hall.
Wray Castle	Neo-romantic castle	18401840–7	Intact	ENT
Wraysholme Tower	Tower house	140115th century	Substantially intact	Private, farm	Used as barn and cow-house, adjoining 19th century house.
Yanwath Hall	Pele tower	140115th century	Intact	Private	Adjoining later building.

Appleby Castle is in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria overlooking the River Eden. It consists of a 12th-century castle keep which is known as Caesar's tower, and a mansion house. These, together with their associated buildings, are set in a courtyard surrounded by curtain walls. The castle was founded by Ranulf le Meschin at the beginning of the 12th century. In about 1170 the square stone keep was built. The castle was in Royal hands when the Scottish King, William the Lion, invaded the Eden Valley in 1174. The constable of the castle surrendered without a fight.

In 1203 the castle was granted to Robert de Vieuxpont by King John. In 1269 it came into the possession of Roger de Clifford and it remained in the ownership of the Clifford family for nearly 400 years. The upper parts of Caesar's tower were altered in the 17th and 18th centuries.

The north wall of house and the west part of north wing with the round tower date from the 13th century. The eastern part of the house was built in 1454. The house was partly dismantled in 1648 and was restored by Lady Anne Clifford in 1651–53. The house was largely rebuilt in 1686 and the north-west wing was added in 1695. In the 19th century it was again restored and sash windows were inserted.

Caesar's tower is built in grey stone rubble and ashlar. It is about 80 ft high and has four storeys. The main house is in two wings which are at right angles to each other. A semicircular round tower protrudes from the north wall of the north wing and a large square tower is at the south end of the east wing. The gateway is in grey stone and battlemented, dating probably from the 17th century. In the grounds of the castle is Lady Anne's Bee-house, which was built by Lady Anne Clifford in the middle of the 17th century. It is a square, stone building in two storeys with a pyramid roof and a door on the lower level. The upper level has a pointed arched window on each of three sides and a door on the fourth side.