Appleby Castle

The history of Appleby Castle reaches back to Roman times when a fort existed on the site to protect the crossing over the River Eden. An excavation in the 1960’s revealed the remains of a Roman Well in the basement of the Castle.

The Keep is one of the few intact Norman Keeps in Great Britain and at over 900 years old is the oldest part of Appleby Castle. Built by Ranulf Le Meschin, the Norman keep is now one of the only centres in the UK that is dedicated to educating on the Norman Age.

The Castle has a rich and varied history. It has been held by the Kings of Scotland and England and was once the home of the Clifford family. The Cliffords were the Wardens of the Marches and are often compared to the Stark family of George RR Martin’s hit series Game of Thrones (due to the many comparisons between the two). Perhaps its most famous resident was Lady Anne Clifford who successfully restored and rebuilt many of Cumbria’s castles and churches. Her father was George Clifford, Queen Elizabeth I’s champion jouster and founder of the East India Company. One of the only replicas of his most famous jousting armour hangs over the fireplace in Appleby Castle’s Great Hall.