Brougham Castle

Brougham Castle stands on a low rise where the rivers Eamont and Lowther meet, two miles south-east of Penrith in Cumbria. The site has been fortified since Roman times, when a fort called Brocavum occupied the same ground. Robert de Vieuxpont built the first stone keep in the early 13th century, using stone from the ruined fort. The Vieuxponts were a powerful northern family who also held Appleby and Brough castles. In 1264 Robert’s grandson was declared a traitor and the property was seized by Henry III, later passing to the Cliffords through marriage. The castle became a key military base during the Wars of Scottish Independence. Robert Clifford, 1st Baron de Clifford, strengthened the defences and hosted Edward I at Brougham in 1300. His son Roger was executed for treason in 1322, and the castle passed to the crown before being returned to the Cliffords. In 1388 the Scots captured and sacked the fortress, after which the family favoured Skipton Castle. By the late 16th century the building had fallen into ruin until George Clifford, 3rd Earl of Cumberland, briefly restored it for a royal visit in 1617. Today the castle is a striking ruin of honey-coloured sandstone. The massive keep still rises three storeys, entered through a forebuilding on the first floor. Stone walls and a large gatehouse mark the Clifford improvements of the 13th and 14th centuries. The riverside setting gives the ruins a dramatic backdrop, and the grassy banks inside the old earthworks remain clearly visible. The site inspired J. M. W. Turner’s paintings and is recalled in Wordsworth’s verse. Managed by English Heritage, it offers a quiet place to walk among the remnants of eight centuries of history.