Carlisle Castle

Castle in Carlisle

Carlisle Citadel — Pixabay / randomwinner

Cannons In Carlisle Castle — CC BY-SA 2.0 / Mark Harkin

Carlisle Castle is situated in Carlisle, Cumbria, England near the ruins of Hadrian’s Wall. It was built on the site of a Roman fort. It was rebuilt by William II of England in the late eleventh century and finished by David I of Scotland. It served as an important fortress and saw action during the Anglo-Scottish wars, the Civil War and the 1745 Jacobite rebellion.

Carlisle Castle is impressive and formidable commanding the western end of the Anglo-Scottish border. The earliest castle was of earth and timber, and was destroyed by King William Rufus in 1092 AD. During the following century it was rebuilt in stone with its stone keep being the oldest surviving part of the castle. It was added to by Henry II, Edward I and Henry VIII, who added the supposedly cannon-proof towers in 1540.

Mary, Queen of Scots, was imprisoned here in 1568. The castle was beseiged for eight-months during the English Civil War before finally surrendering in 1645 and a century later in 1746, the castle became the last English fortress ever to suffer a siege, during Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite rebellion.

The Carlisle Castle appears in our Complete Guide to Visiting Carlisle!

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