Appleby Castle

Did You Know?

• The constable of Appleby Castle surrendered without a fight when Scottish king William the Lion invaded the Eden Valley in 1174.
• King James I stayed at the castle in 1617, between visits to Brougham Castle and Wharton Hall.
• The castle was put up for sale in 2024 at £9.5m, reduced to £5.5m in 2025.

History

Ranulf le Meschin founded the castle at the beginning of the 12th century. Around 1170 the square stone keep known as Caesar's Tower was constructed. The castle was in royal hands when William the Lion, king of Scotland, invaded the Eden Valley in 1174; the constable surrendered without a fight. In 1203 King John granted the castle to Robert I de Vipont.

Through marriage to Isabel de Vipont, co-heiress of Robert II de Vipont, Roger de Clifford acquired the castle in 1264. The Clifford family held Appleby Castle for nearly 400 years and carried out much restoration. Roger's son Robert de Clifford inherited in 1282. The north wall of the house and the west part of the north wing with the round tower date from the 13th century; the eastern part of the house was built in 1454.

King James I stayed at the castle in 1617. In the mid-17th century Lady Anne Clifford made it her home. After a siege by roundhead forces in 1648 during the Second English Civil War, the castle was partly dismantled but restored by Lady Anne Clifford in 1651–53. On her death the castle passed to the Earls of Thanet, who converted the hall block into a classical mansion.

The upper parts of Caesar's Tower were altered in the 17th and 18th centuries. The house was largely rebuilt in 1686 and the northwest wing added in 1695. In the 19th century it was again restored and sash windows inserted. Ferguson Industrial Holdings (FIH PLC) purchased the castle in 1973, and it became the primary residence of CEO Denis Vernon and his family until 1990.

Vernon established a rare breeds survival centre and made considerable improvements to the fabric of all buildings. During this period the castle served as headquarters and training centre for FIH PLC and the conservation centre. Documentary director Susannah White featured Vernon and Appleby Castle in her 1998 BBC documentary The Gypsies Are Coming on Appleby Horse Fair. Christopher Nightingale bought the castle in 1998, and in 2009 Mrs. Sally Nightingale became sole owner.

The castle and grounds are open to the public during specified hours; the keep houses the Norman Centre, a museum and interactive experience.

Other features

The gateway to the castle courtyard and two adjoining cottages are listed Grade I; the gateway is in grey stone and battlemented, probably dating from the 17th century. In the grounds stands Lady Anne's Beehouse, built by Lady Anne Clifford in the mid-17th century. It is a square stone building of two storeys with a pyramid roof, a door on the lower level, and a pointed arched window on three sides of the upper level with a door on the fourth side; it is also Grade I listed. Two stretches of sandstone outer walls, mostly from the 18th and 19th centuries, are Grade II listed, as is the battlemented North Lodge from the 19th century. The grounds are listed Grade II.