Carlisle Castle — Attraction in Carlisle

One of the most besieged castles in England, Carlisle Castle guarded the wild western end of the Anglo-Scottish border for hundreds of years.

After surviving seven sieges by the Scots between 1174 and 1461, it was adapted for artillery and, in 1568, held Mary Queen of Scots prisoner. You can explore the Tudor battery, the 12th-century gatehouse and the recently conserved keep, which has intriguing 15th-century carvings on its second floor.

The castle was operational well into the 20th century. Today it hosts Cumbria’s Museum of Military Life, exploring the Border Regiment’s 300-year history. English Heritage members get free entry to the museum.

Impressive and formidable, Carlisle Castle amply repays exploration of its absorbing 900-year history. Long commanding the especially turbulent western end of the Anglo-Scottish border, Carlisle has witness many conflicts and sieges. The earliest castle (on the site of a sequence of Roman forts dating from the 1st to 4thC AD) was of earth and timber, raised by King William Rufus in c.1092. During the following century it was refortified in stone, possibly by Henry 1. The 12thC stone keep is the oldest surviving structure in the castle, which was frequently updated as befitted a stronghold always in the front line of Anglo-Scottish warfare. In 1315 it triumphantly saw off a determined Scots attack. The rounded 'shot-deflecting' battlements of the keep were added when Henry V11 adapted the castle for artillery in c. 1540.

Elaborate carvings in a small cell, by captives held here by the future Richard lll in 1480, vividly demonstrate that Carlisle Castle was also a prison. Mary Queen of Scots was confined here after her flight from Scotland in 1568: but in 1596 the Border reiver Kinmont Willie Armstrong managed a daring night escape, to the fury of his captors.

Carlisle played its part in the English Civil War. Besieged for eight months by Parliament's Scots allies, its Royalist garrison surrended in 1645 only after eating rats and even their dogs. A century later in 1746, the castle became the last English fortress ever to suffer a siege, when Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite garrison vainly attempted to hold off the Duke of Cumberland's Hanoverian army. The fortress became their prison: many died here, and others left only for hanging or transportation

Housed in the keep is a model of the city in 1745, and an exhibition on Bonnie Prince Charlie and the Jacobite rising of that year; visitors can also see the legendary 'licking stones', which parched Jacobite prisoners desperately licked for moisture in order to stay alive. Another feature of the site is the Carlisle Roman Dig, a fully accessible exhibition displaying the finds from recent excavations.

Discover 900 years of history and explore the tumultuous life of Carlisle Castle and its characters in the exhibition. With nine centuries of bloody and turbulent history, Carlisle Castle has played host to colourful cast of characters, from royalty to the notorious Border Reivers. Hear stories of daring rescues, bloody battles and warring clans, and bring the stories to life with games and...

Nice place to visit, smaller than most castles we've visited and the scaffolding around the keep a bit disappointing although it doesn't stop you actually entering and exploring the keep so that's good. However, the scaffolding isn't why I have only given this place 3 stars....

There are many steep stairs which can be challenging for those with any mobility issues. There isn't a lot that can be done about this, it's not like they can install lifts throughout the castle! However, there is one thing they could do - and hasn't been done. As someone who struggles with M.E. I can climb up these stairs - but really needed somewhere to sit down after the exertion. Apart from picnic tables in the main courtyard, and a couple of benches elsewhere, no other places to sit down and recover were made available.

The walkway around the walls is wide in places, 9-12 feet or so, and could have been easy to have put a few benches around for those with mobility issues who had struggled up steep steps.

Although a small castle, near the end of our visit (that was only around an hour or so) I had to forgo exploring some areas or I would have collapsed on the floor.

It is unacceptable for places like this to make zero effort to cater for persons with disabilities. Something's cannot be made accessible - I get that. However some things can be accessible to a greater number of people with just a shred of consideration and sad to say I think none...

We've been to a few castles before, some in disrepair and others still functioning. This is a functional castle, acting currently as the base for a TA regiment, among other functions. Entry fees depend on the day of the week and time of year, but it is roughly £14 per person with a slight discount if booking in advance online. Parking is just around the wall, and is only a few quid for all day parking.

Once inside the castle wall we were a little unsure where to go and what there was to see. There is very little tourist signage up, but we headed for the main keep inside an inner wall. The keep is empty and there are a few illustrations of how it may have looked several hundred years earlier. It is in very good repair though for a 900 year old building!

In one of the inner buildings there is a display on the various sieges that the castle has endured, which is quite interesting. You can also walk around the top of the walls, passing by two large cannon.

Back out in the outer area there is a military museum which was chock-full of military memorabilia from the forces based there over the years. This was surprisingly interesting and informative, with much more content than we expected. The entry fee for this is included in the main castle fee.

Overall, if you're in Carlisle, I recommend you take a look, but it doesn't rank among the top castles in...