Naworth Castle

Naworth Castle stands on the edge of Cumbria near Brampton, beside the A69 road and across the River Irthing from Lanercost Priory. It began as a 13th-century peel tower and grew into a medieval fortress for the Dacre family, who held the barony of Gilsland. The present castle dates from the early 14th century and was granted licence to crenellate in 1335. Its square keep and bailey layout still shows the strength the Dacres needed against Scottish raids. The castle is worth visiting for its layered history and the way it links two great northern dynasties, the Dacres and the Howards. Thomas Dacre, known as the Builder Dacre, added the grand gateway with his coat of arms in the 16th century. Through marriage the Howards inherited Naworth, and it remains the principal seat of the Earls of Carlisle today. The castle also witnessed the Northern Rebellion of 1569 and the flight of Leonard Dacre. Inside, Naworth offers a Great Hall with the largest fireplace in the north, its arch shaped like a stone bridge. The hall once held the Dacre Beasts, four 6-foot heraldic figures carved from a single oak and rescued after a fire in 1844. The castle’s rooms mix medieval chambers with Pre-Raphaelite interiors and forbidding dungeons still in their original state. Outside, views stretch across the Irthing valley towards Lanercost Priory, where the Dacre and Howard memorials stand.