Autumn Holiday Part Eleven - The final day!

Well how did that happen? How is it the final day already? I swear this keeps happening to me, two weeks of holiday evaporates and all of a sudden the final day is here! And boy, did we pack a lot into the final day! Our first stop was Lowther Castle, and let me state this right here, this may be my favourite castle that I have ever visited. A bold statement yes, but let me show you why.

Lowther Castle wasn't like any castle I had visited before. It was something else entirely. The castle has a long history of settlement there, starting as a manor house surrounded by a small village in the 1120's, before becoming known as Lowther Hall later on, one of it's most famous visitors being Mary, Queen of Scots.

Other famous visitors included William Wadsworth, who wrote about the castle several times, and William Turner, who painted the original mansion, Kaiser Wilhelm the second, as well as several other kings and queens from across Europe. See what I mean about a visiting place of the rich and famous? 

Most of the original castle building was destroyed by fire, the one you see here was rebuilt between 1806 & 1814. Now here's where things get really interesting. One of it's owners, the Earl Hugh Cecil Lowther of Lonsdale inherited the castle and it's vast estate in 1882, and quickly began to spend money, on various things, cattle ranches in America, his own personal train, footmen dressed in yellow, you name it, it seemed he would buy it. By the time of his death, there was nothing left, and his younger brother Lancelot was left to deal with not only a bankrupt estate, but war damage too.

The castle has been used as a tank training ground during the Second World War, destroying the gardens and damaging the castle itself. Faced with irreparable damage and with no one willing to buy or even take the castle, and a tax bill of £25 million pounds looming, Lancelot had to do what he had to do. He sold off all of the families remaining treasures, and sold any of the castles features and stonework that could be sold. He then had the roof removed, and the castle was literally left as a shell, which is what we can see today.

The castle was then used as a pig farm, chicken coops and farmland. I mean it might well be the fanciest pig farm I've ever seen! After the death of Lancelot's grandson James in 2006, the estate and English Heritage joined forces to decide what was to happen next, and over the following couple of years, restoration of the castle and gardens began.

Now, the castle is a fantastic attraction, boasting acre's of garden and forest areas, the UK's largest wooden playground to keep the children interested, as well as a cared for ruin. There's also a gift shop, a cafe, and an exhibition on the castles history. It truly is one of the most interesting stories of riches to ruin and back again. Even in October there was still roses and flowers blooming, and parts of inside the castle are now home to planted plants (I couldn't think of a better way to say that) adding to the feeling of rebirth in the ruins.

Here's a view of the back of the castle, even in ruin, it is magnificent.

Here's our lunch from the cafe, Jame's healthy salad, and my pie and chips. Notice how one of my chips has been stolen and placed on James's plate! We ate up, and headed to the front of the castle.

Even 80 years on, the scars from the Second World War remain. The concrete is from the tank testing track, that covered over the expansive lawns and were then used as pig pens and chicken huts. I think there are plans at some point to restore the lawns, but at least this doggy is having a good time running around! 

Tickets for the Castle and Gardens comes in at a very reasonable £15 for adults, plus with free entry to Historic Houses members, as well as a 20% discount for English Heritage members and a 2 for 1 offer on tickets for Gardeners World and MyCumbria card holders. So plenty of reasons to visit. Personally for me, this has to be one of the best castles I have ever visited, the dramatic history, the even more dramatic ruins, the fantastic gardens, it's a perfect package all round.

Taking advantage of the beautiful weather, we decided to continue the day with another outdoor visit, this time to Shap Abbey, just 15 minutes down the road. Shap was a world away from the hustle & bustle at Lowther, and the feeling of optimism and progress. Shap was quiet, a little forlorn, and felt forgotten. But it also felt rather striking, particularly the grey stonework of the surviving central tower against the blue sky.

Not a cloud or person to be seen!

The central tower, with some of the decorative remains of columns in the foreground. 

Shap Abbey was founded in 1199, and had a fairly quiet history until it's forced closure in 1540. Much of the stonework was robbed and used to build Lowther Castle & Shap Market Hall, as well as the farmhouse situated just next to the Abbey. There's still a fair amount to see, and we loved having a wander around, and then getting to see a thousand sheep running past on their way to a new pasture. The grass is always greener I guess?

The Abbey is in the care of English Heritage, but is completely free to enter. We didn't see anyone else there, except for the farmer leading the sheep. There's a small car park just by a farm outbuilding, just keep an eye out for the signs. And don't forget to view the tower from different sides, there's still some beautiful tracery in the window at the top. The air felt so cold & crisp there though, it was really rather beautiful.

We had time for one more place to visit, so we headed into Penrith to visit Brougham Castle as our last stop of the day. Brougham Castle is just outside Penrith, on the banks of the Eamont river, and has had a structure on the site for at least two thousand years.

While most of what you see today is the medieval castle, just near the main entrance is where a Roman Fort called Brocavum was located. Being near Roman roads, the rivers and with fertile lands throughout, it was a good place to settle. The remains of the castle were built in the early 1200's, although construction stopped and started several times due to the turbulent times and Scottish raids.

The Clifford family would inherit the castle, and began a program of construction and modernisation, making the castle much stronger and better equipped to defend itself should the need arise. A Great Hall was built, possibly for the arrival of King Edward the first. Famous Lady Anne Clifford spent time and money fighting for the castle and it's inheritance, spending time there and again looking after the building.

However, after Anne's death the castle began its journey into decay, parts of it being quarried or sold off for local building projects, and it steadily became a ruin. Which is how it looks now when visiting.

The most fascinating part is the remains of the family's private chapel on the top floor of the keep, complete with it's own little sink, as well as graffiti left by visitors hundreds of years ago. It's well worth heading up to see, even if the circular staircase is precarious even by medieval standards!

Entry to the castle is £10.50 for adults, and as always, English Heritage members get in for free, and there is a discount for booking in advance. There's a little car park just opposite the main entrance, a few steps away from the glorious stone bridge which takes you over the river Eamont. The main entrance has a shop and some information panels, telling you more about the history of the castle, and the people that lived in it.

We grabbed and ice cream as we left the castle, and stood on the bridge watching the ducks swim about underneath. That was it, the end of our holiday! All that was left was to pack up our things at the lodge, and get ready to leave in the morning. It would be a long drive back, and then there was a frantic afternoon spent washing work uniforms and catching up on bits and bobs, before heading back to work the next day. And by the end of the first day back, our holiday was just a distant memory!