Thurland Castle

Thurland Castle stands in parkland between the villages of Cantsfield and Tunstall in Lancashire. Built on a mound and surrounded by a moat, it began as a defensive structure in the Lune Valley. The River Greta flows to the south and the Cant beck to the north. The earliest parts of the castle date from the 14th century. Sir Thomas Tunstall received a licence to crenellate the building in 1402. The castle remained in the Tunstall family for generations before passing to John Girlington in 1605. The castle has a history tied to notable figures and events. Sir Brian Tunstall, known as the "Stainless Knight," died at the Battle of Flodden in 1513. He was immortalised in Sir Walter Scott’s poem *Marmion*. During the Civil War, Parliamentarian forces besieged the castle in 1643, causing ruinous damage. The rebuilding in the 19th century was led by architects Jeffry Wyattville, George Webster, and later Paley and Austin after a fire in 1876. The Lees family owned the castle until the early 20th century. Today, the castle is a Grade II* listed building converted into luxury apartments. Its architecture blends Elizabethan and Gothic Revival styles, with sandstone rubble walls and slate roofs. Two towers rise above the courtyard, one with two storeys and the other with three. The windows are mullioned or mullioned and transomed, and embattled parapets line the terraces. The arched bridge over the moat leads to the main entrance, offering a view of the surrounding parkland and waterways.