Lammerside Castle
| Lammerside Castle | |
|---|---|
| Cumbria, England | |
 Lammerside Castle in 2006 | |
| Site information | |
| Type | Tower house |
Open to the public | yes |
| Condition | Ruins |
| Location | |
| Shown within Cumbria | |
  Lammerside Castle Location within Cumbria | |
| Coordinates | 54°26′16″N 2°21′08″W / 54.43787°N 2.3521°W |
| Grid reference | grid reference NY7716504789 |
| Site history | |
| Built | 12th or 13th century |
| Built by | Warcop family |
| Materials | Rubble |
| Demolished | 17th century |
Lammerside Castle is a Grade II listed Medieval tower house in Wharton, Cumbria, England which has partial ruins existing today.[1]
History
[edit]The earliest Lammerside Castle was constructed as a tower house during the 12th or 13th century by the Warcop family,[1][2] and the surviving structure was converted into a pele tower using rubble during the 14th century (possibly to defend against the Scots),[2] probably after 1403 as John de Lambyrsete did not yet have a property to his name.[3] It was almost certainly, however, owned by Thomas Warcop in 1404.[4]
By 1576, the area around Lammerside Castle had been enclosed by the neighbouring Wharton family to form the Wharton Hall deer park,[3] and it was abandoned during this time when the Wharton family moved to Wharton Hall.[2] The north and south wings were demolished shortly after it was abandoned.[3]
Lammerside Castle was Grade II listed on 1 October 1981.[1]
Description
[edit]The surviving ruins belong to a tower which constituted a section of the central core of Lammerside Castle, and the surrounding earthworks of the wings, barmkin wall, yard, and a building platform also survive.[3]
The tower consists of two storeys connected by a newel staircase. The lower floor, covered by barrel vaults, was divided by a cross wall and the southern section had three apartments; a corridor was present and it ran north to south. The upper floor had a single room with a fireplace,[1] and the local lord probably lived there.[5]
Towards the eastern end of the north wall, the stump of the wall of a now demolished adjoining building has survived, and earthworks suggest the layout of the adjoining wings.[3]
References
[edit]- 1 2 3 4 "Lammerside Castle medieval tower house". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
- 1 2 3 "Mallerstang – Lammerside Castle". Visit Cumbria. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Lammerside Castle". Gatehouse Gazetteer.
- ↑ Cowper, H.S. (1904) ‘Lammerside Castle’ Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Volume 4 pp. 85-91.
- ↑ Curwen, John F. (1932) The Later Records Relating To North Westmorland Or the Barony of Appleby. Kendal, UK: Titus Wilson and Son.