PENRITH CASTLE

Cumberland

Not a lot remains of the strong Castle at Penrith.  The first Castle was built by William Strickland, who later became Bishop of Carlisle.  He received licence to crenellate in 1397 and built the intial tower, little of which still remains.

A second licence was granted in 1399, but it seems that no work was carried out until 1420 the year after the Castle was granted to Ralph Neville, the first of the Neville Earls of Westmorland. The main remnant of the Castle, the Red Tower (pictured), comes from this period, but curtain walls and a gatehouse were also added.

The Nevilles became more and more powerful, and built many other Castles, subsequently forgetting about Penrith and allowing it to collapse.  It was briefly repaired in 1572 but was then slighted by the Parliamentarians during the Civil War, despite the fact that they held the Castle throughout.

The remains are now owned by English Heritage and are open during daylight hours.

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2002