Furness Abbey

You can find Furness Abbey on the Furness peninsula in the South Lakes, just outside the town of Barrow-In-Furness. Now ruined, in its heyday, Furness was the second wealthiest Cistercian Monastery in England, behind only Fountains Abbey (found in Yorkshire). The Abbey is built from local sandstone and the monks were the preeminent local landowners up to the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th Century (thanks Henry VIII!). They were also heavily involved in the politics of the region, playing an important role in the fraught border relations between England and Scotland, and also exercising strong influence over the Isle of Man(n). One of the Kings of the Isle of Mann is buried at Furness Abbey.

The ruins of the Abbey are very impressive, some reaching three stories or over 130ft.

There are plenty of myths and legends surrounding Furness Abbey, including one that the Holy Grail and/or Prince John’s treasure is buried in tunnels underneath the land. This seems unlikely seeing as Prince John’s treasure was lost on The Wash in Lincolnshire – over 245 miles away on the other side of the country! As for the Holy Grail well… I thought a ghostly knight was looking after that in the ruins of Petra somewhere.

Sizergh Castle

Sizergh Castle is a Grade I listed building on the edge of the Lake District. It is currently the private home of the Strickland family (and has been owned by the family for over 800 years), although the property is cared for by the National Trust.

It is thought that the sixth wife of Henry VIII, Katherine Parr, stayed at Sizergh for an extended period of time after the death of her first husband (she was married a total of four times, Henry VIII being her third husband). One of the highlights of the interior of the Manor House is the gorgeous Inlaid Chamber, which contains Elizabethan panelling. The panelling was housed in the Victoria and Albert Museum, but was returned and restored to the house in 1999. The beauty of this panelling shows the political power and imagination of the Strickland family in that century. Ardent Catholics (as many Northern families were), Thomas Strickland went into exile with James II in the following century.

There are over 2,400 items in the Sizergh collection that have been curated by twenty-six generations of the Strickland family.

The Gardens at the manor house are beautiful, including a rockery, a herbaceous border, an orchard, and a kitchen garden. There is an accessible 1.5km loop around the garden for people to follow and enjoy the different areas. If you’re lucky you can see the rare Hawfinch in the woodland around the castle, as well as

Lanercost Priory

Lanercost Priory is a beautiful ruin found just off the road between Carlisle and Hexham, before Cumbria becomes Northumberland, and it is one of the most peaceful places I’ve visited. It’s wonderful to just step inside the ruins of the old monastic buildings and just feel the peace. Despite not being religious, I can definitely understand why the monks chose this place as the site for their monastic house!

It was built in the 1160s or 1170s and is dedicated to Mary Magdalene, an unusual dedication in the North of England at the time. You can see Roman stonework and carvings in the surviving ruins as some of the stone used in the building was pilfered from the nearby Hadrian’s Wall.

The important Lanercost Chronicle, written about the thirteen century wars between the England and Scotland was created by the monks of the Priory. The religious house played a key role in these wars, and played host to Edward I (“the Hammer of the Scots”) three times in the latter years of his reign. Ironically, the Priory would also host Robert the Bruce less than ten years later during his campaign against Edward II, prior to the Battle of Bannockburn.

The Priory was converted into a Tudor mansion in the 16th century after the dissolution of the monasteries by the Dacre family, an influential local gentry family. The family tombs can be found in the still-operating church attached to the Priory ruins. The old Priory fell into ruins, apart from the part still operating as a church, which was then re-roofed in the 19th century.

There used to be a very good tearooms and giftshop complex (not operated by English Heritage) attached to the Priory, but there is mixed information as to whether these have reopened, after closing in late 2024. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to head back up there to double check…

Muncaster Castle

Muncaster Castle is found on the coastal road on the Furness Peninsula, halfway between Dalton-In-Furness and Whitehaven. It is owned by the Pennington Family, who have lived there for 800 years, and still hold it privately, although they are a member of Historic Houses. There is something of a legend surrounding the Pennington Family and Muncaster Castle, originating in the fifteenth century, when after a defeat at the Battle of Hexham in 1464, Henry VI fled to the castle – a distance of over ninety miles through some pretty rough terrain – for sanctuary. As thanks, Henry gifted the Pennington’s a Venetian glass drinking bowl with the wish:

“As long as this bowl remains unriven, Penningtons from Muncaster never shall be driven”

The glass remains intact to this day, and the Penningtons still own the castle.

Parts of the current castle date from the 14th Century, including the pele (pronounced “peel”) tower and the Great Hall, although it is believed that pele tower is built on Roman ruins that may date back as far as 79AD.

Muncaster is also listed as one of the “most haunted” castles in England (which is a bit of claim, considering I’m sure that every castle has plenty of ghosts), with stories of “Tom Fool” causing mischief for the family and guests, as well as reports of a child crying in the night when guests have stayed in the Tapestry Bedroom. The story is that this may be the ghost of Margaret Pennington, a child who was often sickly, and died at the castle in the eighteenth century. If you’re interested in this kind of thing, Muncaster does off “ghost nights” where small groups can spend the night in the Tapestry Bedroom and wait for the ghosts to show themselves.

During the Second World War the house was used as a safehouse for artworks of International importance, that were transported away from London to keep them safe from bombing during The Blitz. These included works by Van Gogh, Manet, and Turner.

So, as you can see, lots of wonderful historical properties to see in Cumbria this summer! Which of these have you visited before? Is there any that you want to go to?

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