England's northernmost great castle, a red sandstone stronghold that has seen more sieges than anywhere else in the country
Open to visitorsan English Heritage site — check opening times and admission before you go
Standing remainssubstantial fabric survives to stand in front of
For more than nine hundred years the red sandstone bulk of Carlisle Castle has held the western end of the border with Scotland. William Rufus began it in 1092, and a stone keep (the central tower) went up soon after; because Carlisle changed hands between England and Scotland again and again, the castle was besieged more times than any other in Britain. Mary, Queen of Scots was held here in 1568, in the first weeks of her long English captivity. In 1745 Jacobite forces took the castle for Bonnie Prince Charlie, and when the Duke of Cumberland won it back his prisoners were crammed into the cells — you can still see the ‘licking stones’ worn smooth where thirsty men are said to have licked moisture from the walls. Roman Carlisle, the fort of Luguvalium, once stood on the same ground. For much of its later life the castle was an army barracks and the home of the county regiment. English Heritage looks after it now. The River Eden runs just below, Carlisle Cathedral is a few minutes’ walk away, and the Hadrian’s Wall Path passes close to the north.
More at the National Heritage List entry
