Lowther Castle

LOWTHER CASTLE

Listed on the National Heritage List for England. Search over 400,000 listed places

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Overview

Heritage Category:
Listed building
List Entry Number:
1068767
Date first listed:
06-Feb-1968
Statutory Address:
LOWTHER CASTLE
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Official list entry

Heritage Category:
Listed building
List Entry Number:
1068767
Date first listed:
06-Feb-1968
Statutory Address 1:
LOWTHER CASTLE

Location

Statutory Address:
LOWTHER CASTLE

The building or site itself may lie within the boundary of more than one authority.

District:
Westmorland and Furness (Unitary Authority)
Parish:
Lowther
National Park:
Lake District
National Grid Reference:
NY 52148 23802

Details

NY 52 SW LOWTHER LOWTHER

12/137 Lowther Castle 6.2.68 II*

Country house built as sham castle, now a ruin without roof. 1806-14 on site of medieval hall, by Sir Robert Smirke for 1st Earl of Lonsdale. Calciferous sandstone ashlar with string course and battlemented parapets. Tall central square stair tower behind, and projecting above, 3-storey, 3-bay centre flanked by 2-storey, 3-bay wings. Low flanking recessed 3-bay links to 2-storey, 3-bay end pavilions; each angle with either a circular or octagonal turret. Central porte-cochere has pointed arches under tracery stone panels, battlemented parapet and octagonal, panelled turrets. Central bays have mixed fenestration of 4-light Tudor window over porch and pointed-arched windows. Ground floor pointed-arched tracery windows in wings under 2-light Tudor-style windows. Pavilions have 2-light Tudor-style windows. All windows now without tracery or mullions. House was closed in 1935 (it had over 260 rooms and had cost £77,000) and partly used as a tank training range during World War II. Contents sold in 1947 and roof removed 1957. See Colvin, Crook & Friedman, Architectural Drawings from Lowther Castle, 1980: Transactions Cumberland & Westmorland Antiquarian & Archaeological Society, new series, lxxxi, pp.122-136 and lxxxiv, pp.191-204. See also D. Sutherland, The Yellow Earl, 1965, for the later history of the castle.

Listing NGR: NY5214823802

Legacy

The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.

Legacy System number:
74345
Legacy System:
LBS

Sources

Books and journals
Sutherland, D, The Yellow Earl, (1965)
Colvin, Crook, Friedman, , Architectural Drawings from Lowther Castle, (1980)
Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society in Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, (), 122-136
Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society in Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society, (), 191-204

Other
Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England, Part 9 Cumbria,

Legal

Ordnance survey map of Lowther Castle

Map

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© Crown copyright [and database rights] 2026. OS AC0000815036. Use of this mapping is subject to Terms and Conditions.

End of official list entry

All text content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0 , except where otherwise stated. Any supplied maps are © Crown Copyright [and database rights] 2026 OS AC0000815036 and may not be reproduced without permission.

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