Carlisle
 Castles |  Cathedrals |
A major, strategic, English city located on the border with Scotland, Carlisle's military past is much in evidence. Whether because of pitched battles between Romans and Pictish tribes, or the frequent bitter English skirmishes with Scots, and Jacobite rebels, Carlisle was rarely a peaceful place. As with other border towns it changed hands between English and Scots many times, and was last captured by the Scots during the Jacobite rising of 1745.
The Norman castle, built in 1092 by King William Rufus, was most probably constructed on the site of an earlier prehistoric fortress - the name Carlisle originated from the Celtic Caer Lue, meaning hill fort. The Romans also settled a fort here, called Luguvalium, the wall of which still runs north of the city; this camp was incorporated into their northern defences - Hadrian's Wall.
The present Carlisle Castle dominates the city skyline; with its enormous 14th century gatehouse, portcullis, vaulted passages, chambers, towers and dungeons, it remains hugely attractive to visitors as living history. Besieged for eight months during the English Civil War, the castle eventually capitulated to the Parliamentarians, who used stone from the nearby cathedral to repair the damaged fortress. A result of this plunder is that Carlisle Cathedral remains one of the smallest cathedrals in England to this day.
Originally founded as a priory in 1122, Carlisle Cathedral enjoyed its elevation in status thanks to Henry I in 1132, and can claim to have held a daily service for almost 900 years. On entering the building, the visitor is immediately struck by the beautifully painted, high wooden ceiling of the choir, with its bright blue panels and golden stars. The stained glass windows range in date from the 14th to the 20th cent - the oldest being the exquisite East Window. Opposite the cathedral entrance is the Fratry, originally a 13th century monastic commonroom, now the cathedral library. Nearby is the Prior's Tower, a must for all visitors; the first floor of this 15th century pele tower has a ceiling containing 45 hand-painted panels, dating from 1510. The 12th century Church of St Cuthbert is closeby, although much of what remains dates from the 1700's; a curiosity to be found within is a moving pulpit, mounted on rail tracks.
The award winning Tullie House Museum, in the centre of the city, is another place to visit if possible. The museum charts the history of the city from its early Celtic origins, through the Roman occupation, followed by a centrepiece concentrating on the 300 years of turmoil caused by the Border Reivers. Carlisle is located deep in Border Country, where the wild, lonely, evocative landscape sets the scene for many of Sir Walter Scott's historical novels. Between the 14th and the 17th centuries particularly, this vast borderland area remained a lawless and ungovernable place, where the notorious riever families plundered farms and killed their neighbours, in the knowledge that neither Scottish nor English law would be upheld here. Such havoc and mayhem did they wreak, that almost every village in the area had a fortified structure for protection of both inhabitants and their animals. Their treacherous deeds gave to the English language the words 'bereave' and 'blackmail'.