THE EDGE
VACATION & HOLIDAY GUIDE TO
CUMBRIA & THE LAKE DISTRICT
Kendal Castle Cumbria
|
|---|
|
|
|
KENDAL CASTLE Location: OS ref SD522924 Sheet 97. Situated on a hill high above Kendal, but close to the centre of town.
|
Kendal Castle was in existence by 1184 when it passed by marriage to Gilbert Fitz Reinfred, and it was he who constructed it in stone. After that the castle had several owners: 1215 taken by the Crown; given back to William de Lancaster, son of Gilbert; 1246, Peter de Brus; 1272, the Roos family; 1383, the Parr family; 1553 the Crown again, then back to the Parrs in 1559; 1571 back to the Crown. By this time it was falling down. Not until 1813 was any work carried out to prevent further collapse.
The Castle is now unfortunately a ruin: not much survives, but recently a sizeable amount of money has been allocated by the National Lottery Millennium Fund, in order that it be further consolidated and work carried out to make it a more pleasant place to visit. Personally I think it a nice place to visit already, offering good views over the charming town of Kendal. There is another castle (Castle Howe) in the town itself that is thought to have been constructed around 1087, of this only the motte (an earth mound forming part of the defences of an early castle) remains.
|
|
Castles Index |
History Index |
Kendal Town |
Main Index |
Next Castle |
Copyright © EDGE 2001