Penrith Castle

Penrith Castle stands in the north-west of England, a few miles east of the Lake District National Park. Its irregular, quadrilateral shape suggests it may occupy the site of a former Roman encampment. The castle was built between 1399 and 1470 to defend against Scottish raids. Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, is now thought to be its most likely builder. The Neville family held the castle as their most important local office in the 15th century. Richard, Duke of Gloucester later used it as a base against the Scots. The castle passed through several owners after the Wars of the Roses. It remained part of the Crown Estate until William III granted it to Hans Willem Bentinck in 1696. The Dukes of Devonshire sold it to the Lancaster & Carlisle Railway Company, which built the nearby station. The remains now form part of a public park maintained by English Heritage. The ruins include projecting corbels that once supported an open corridor and large vaults that may have served as prisons. Visitors find the castle’s remaining walls broken in many places, creating striking perspectives. The eastern front still shows where windows once stood. The grounds around the ruins have been organised as a public park with housing nearby. English Heritage maintains the site, which is recorded as a Grade I listed building. The few remaining structures are valued more for their extent than their grandeur.