Carlisle

Carlisle is the largest settlement in Cumbria with a population of around 100,000, and is also its county town. The city stands at the junction of three rivers, the Eden, the Caldew and the Petteril, and was already fortified in Celtic times when it was named Caer Lue, the hill fort. It became a major Roman centre as the military base for the Petriana regiment, Luguvallum, guarding the western end of Hadrian’s Wall, and also an important civilian settlement with fountains, mosaics, statues and centrally-heated homes.

Today, the squat outline of Carlisle Castle (English Heritage) dominates the skyline of this fascinating city. The original Norman castle was built of wood but, during the Scottish occupation in the 12th century, King David I laid out a new castle with stones taken from Hadrian’s Wall. The 12th-century keep can still be seen enclosed by massive inner and outer walls. Entry is through a great 14th-century gatehouse, complete with portcullis, and with a maze of vaulted passages, chambers, staircases, towers, and dismal dungeons. Children, especially, enjoy the legendary ‘licking stones’ from which parched Jacobite prisoners tried to find enough moisture to stay alive. Archaeologists working outside the castle walls unearthed the remains of three Roman forts, and many of the finds are on display in a special exhibition at the castle. Carlisle Castle is everything a real castle should be, and is still the headquarters of the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment whose Regimental Museum is located within the castle walls.

Carlisle Cathedral, the only cathedral in Cumbria, has many interesting features, including an exquisite 14th-century east window that is considered to be one of the finest in Europe. Below the beautifully painted wooden ceiling of the choir, with its gold stars shimmering against a deep blue background, are the carved, canopied choir-stalls with their medieval misericords. The wonderful carved beasts and birds include two dragons joined by the ears, a fox killing a goose, pelicans feeding their young, and a mermaid with a looking glass. In St Wilfrid’s Chapel is the superb 16th-century Flemish Brougham Triptych, which was originally in Cologne Cathedral.

It was at Carlisle Cathedral that Edward I solemnly used bell, book and candle to excommunicate Robert the Bruce, and here, too, the bells were rung to welcome Bonnie Prince Charlie in 1745.

Although an appointment is usually necessary, a visit to the nearby Prior’s Tower is a must. On the first floor of this 15th-century pele tower is a marvellous panelled ceiling incorporating the popinjay crest and arms of the Prior Senhouse. The 16th-century Prior’s gatehouse leads to a narrow lane called Paternoster, named after the monks reciting their offices.

Like many great medieval cities, Carlisle was surrounded by walls. Guided walks and tours are available and the best view is to be found in a little street called West Walls at the bottom of Sally Port Steps, near the Tithe Barn. The walls date from around the 11th century and they remained virtually intact until the 1800s.

Close by is St Cuthbert’s Church, the official city church of Carlisle and where the Lord Mayor’s pew can be found. Although the present building dates from 1778, there has been a church on this site since the 7th century and the dedication is obvious, since St Cuthbert was Bishop of Carlisle in AD680. It is a charming Georgian building with several interesting features including a moveable pulpit on rails.

The award-winning Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, in the centre of the city close to the Cathedral, is certainly another place not to be missed. Through skilful and interpretive techniques the fascinating, and often dark, history of the Debatable Lands, as this border region was called, is told. The museum’s centrepiece is its story of the Border Reivers who occupied the lands from the 14th to the 17th century. The horrific stories of the Reivers have been passed down through the generations in the Border Ballads, and many of the Reivers family names are still known - the museum even offers a genealogy service so that visitors can find out if their ancestry goes back to these people. The city of Carlisle dates back far beyond those desperate days and Tullie House also has an extensive collection of Roman remains from both the city and the Cumbrian section of Hadrian’s Wall. The Art Gallery features contemporary arts and crafts, and the spectacular underground Millennium Gallery has a stunning collection of local minerals, archaeological finds of wood and leather, artist-made glass and interactive exhibits. Old Tullie House showcases paintings and drawings by renowned pre-Raphaelite artists, as well as other artworks and a selection of fine English porcelain. A short walk from the Museum you’ll find the Linton Visitor Centre in Shaddongate, which provides an insight into the city’s industrial heritage.

The Guildhall Museum, housed in an unspoiled medieval building constructed by Richard of Redeness in 1407, provides an ideal setting for illustrating the history of both the Guilds and the City. Not far from the Guildhall is the Citadel, which is often mistaken for the castle. This intimidating fortress, with its two well-preserved circular towers, was built in 1543 on the orders of Henry VIII to strengthen the city’s defences. Much of it was demolished in the early 1800s to improve access to the city centre, but what remains is mightily impressive.

Across the road from the Citadel is the railway station. The first railway to Carlisle opened in July 1836 and Citadel Station, which opened in 1850, was built to serve seven different railway companies whose coats of arms are still displayed on the facade. So elegant was its interior - and much of it remains - that Carlisle was known as the ‘top hat’ station. Today, it is still an important centre of communications; InterCity trains from Glasgow and London now link with lines to Dumfries, Tyneside, West Cumbria and Yorkshire, and it is, of course, the northern terminus of the famous Settle-Carlisle Railway line.

One of the last great mainline railways to be built in Britain - it was completed in 1876 - the Settle-Carlisle line takes in some of the most dramatic scenery that the north of England has to offer. Scenic it may be, but the terrain caused the Victorian engineers many problems. During the course of its 72 miles, the line crosses 20 viaducts and passes through 12 tunnels, each of which was constructed by an army of navvies who had little in the way of resources besides their strength and some dynamite to dislodge the rock.

Located on the northwestern edge of the city, Kingmoor Nature Reserve occupies an area of moorland given to the city in 1352 by Edward III. Citizens enjoyed the right to graze sheep on the moors and to cut peat for fuel. Later, Carlisle’s first racecourse was established here with annual Guild races being held up until 1850. Then in 1913, Kingmoor became one of the first bird sanctuaries in England and today provides a peaceful retreat away from the bustle of the city. A half-mile circular path wanders through the woodland with gentle gradients of 1 in 20 making it fully accessible to wheelchairs and pushchairs, and with seats every 100 yards or so providing plenty of resting places. Another path links the reserve to Kingmoor Sidings, which since the old railway sheds closed has been colonised by a wide variety of wildlife.

About two miles north of the city centre in the suburb of Houghton, A World in Miniature Museum contains what is claimed to be one of the world’s top three collections of miniatures. They range from striking copies of antique furniture set in tiny rooms, to the world’s smallest teddy bear.

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