Cockermouth Castle

Cockermouth Castle (grid reference NY123309) is in the town of Cockermouth in Cumbria on a site by the junction of the Rivers Cocker and Derwent. It is a grade I listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument (Cockermouth Castle: medieval enclosure castle and site of earlier motte and bailey castle).

The first castle on this site was built by the Normans in 1134. Some of the stone was sourced from the Roman site of Derventio. Significant additions were made in the 13th and 14th centuries. The castle played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses, and in the Civil War, when it was badly damaged.

Various magnates held the castle, the most prominent being the Percy Earls of Northumberland from the 15th to 17th centuries. It passed to the Wyndham family, the current owners, in the eighteenth century. The castle was the home of the dowager Lady Egremont until her death in 2013.

The castle is partly inhabited and is mainly in good condition, but some of the ruined structures are decaying, resulting in their inclusion on the Heritage at Risk register.

The castle has been opened to the public as part of the Heritage Open Days scheme.

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