Images from our recent-ish visit to Carlisle Castle, Cumbria, England.
This episode followed on from our soggy trudge around Lanercost Priory - and shared the same dismal drench-fest weather. (A traffic grid-locked Carlisle with Frank’s free-spirited and anarchic Sat Nav adding to the excitement).
(Shot raw and processed using: DxO PL Elite/ ViewPoint/ Nik Collection, Adobe LrC/ PS with Tony Kuyper Panels and Topaz Labs Studio 2).
You can find out more about Carlisle Castle by clicking
Here.
Phil and Karen
1. In AD 72 a large Roman fort built of turf and timber was established on the site. It later provided support for garrisons on Hadrian’s Wall and was a staging post for troops invading Scotland. The first 'castle' at Carlisle, built here during the reign of William II in 1092, was rebuilt in stone under Henry I in 1122.
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2. For 500 years, until the English and Scottish crowns were united in 1603, Carlisle Castle was the principal fortress of England’s north-western border with Scotland and consequently it endured more sieges than any other castle in England.
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3. Unlike most medieval castles, Carlisle has been continuously occupied since its foundation. (Though not by the same side!). From the 18th-century to the 1960’s it was the headquarters of the Border Regiment, one of the oldest in the British Army.
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4. When Mary Queen of Scots fled from her rebellious subjects to England in May 1567, she was housed for some weeks in the Warden’s Tower. This was the last time the castle was used as a royal residence. The tower itself was demolished in 1834, but some its footings and stairway partly survive.
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5. Inside the 900-year old keep, with its immensely thick walls, are 15th-century carvings, which speculation suggests could have been made by members of the castle garrison.
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6. The castle is now managed by English Heritage. Since 2000 most military functions have left, but a few organisations still share the site, notably Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life.
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(Sources: English Heritage, Wikipedia).
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