Armathwaite Castle
| Armathwaite Castle | |
| Cumberland | |
|---|---|
 Armathwaite Castle | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | NY506459 |
| Location: | 54°48’20"N, 2°46’12"W |
| Village: | Armathwaite |
| History | |
| Country house | |
| Information | |
| Owned by: | Private |
Armathwaite Castle stands in the village of Armathwaite in the fells of eastern Cumberland by the River Eden. Originally built as a peel tower to defend against Scottish raiders in the 15th century, it was converted into a mansion and today is a Grade II* listed building.[1]
Details
Armathwaite Castle was built in the 15th century on a strong point along the west side of the River Eden by the Skelton family, possibly by John Skelton in 1445.[2][3][4][5] The castle was a four-storied pele tower and protected the Eden valley from raiders from the north.[3][5]
In 1712 the castle passed into the Sanderson family, one of whom, Robert Sanderson, made the castle the centre of a collection of antiquities and relics, and from there to the Milbournes and in 1846 onto William Lowther, the Earl of Lonsdale.[6] In the late 18th and 19th centuries the castle was converted into a mansion, faced with ashlar cut stone in a classical style, with an adjacent wing for offices.[4][5]
The castle remains privately owned.[7]
References
- Fry, Plantagenet Somerset (1980). The David and Charles Book of Castles. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 978-0-7153-7976-9.
- Jefferson, Samuel (1838). History and Antiquities of Carlisle. Carlise, UK: Samuel Jefferson.
- Mackenzie, James D. (1896). The Castles of England: Their Story and Structure. II. New York: Macmillan. OCLC 504892038.
- Pettifer, Adrian (2002). English Castles: A Guide by Counties. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-782-5.