North West - Cumbria

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CARLISLE CASTLE

Carlisle,
Cumbria
CA3 8UR
t: 01228 591922
e: carlisle.castle@english-heritage.org.uk
w: www.english-heritage.org.uk/carlislecastle

Squat and thick-walled, Carlisle Castle emanates strength and menace. It needed both, because for many centuries it commanded the wild west end of the Anglo-Scottish frontier – guarding the most frequently attacked town in Britain. It also served as a bleak prison and was the very last English fortress ever to suffer a siege, during Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite Rising in 1745. Continuously updated over the centuries, this hard-bitten old campaigner of a castle remained an active military base until 1959. Now it can reveal its secrets to your group.


  • Explore the four floors of the great keep and the Captain’s Tower, probably the bestpreserved medieval gatehouse in Britain.
     
  • Discover the castle’s links with famous historical figures, including Richard III, Henry VIII, Mary Queen of Scots and Bonnie Prince Charlie.
     
  • Uncover grim stories from the castle’s past. Find the ‘licking stones’ where parched Jacobite prisoners desperately sought moisture and the strange medieval carvings on the keep’s second floor.
     
  • Enjoy the revealing exhibition, including examples of weapons used in the castle’s many sieges and the tale of a notorious Border raider’s daring escape.
     
  • Group members who want to avoid climbing the keep’s stairs can see a graphic reconstruction and a 360-degree virtual tour of the castle.

 

ITINERARY IDEA

Combine a visit to Carlisle Castle with trips to beautiful Lanercost Priory and Birdoswald Roman Fort, both close by.