In early August, I visited Brougham Castle, which is located near Penrith in Cumbria. The castle itself dates from the 13th century, but a castle stood on this site for 2000 years. Behind the castle is the location of a Roman fort known as Brocavum, and it was initially used by infantry but was then replaced by calvary with many of the men from modern day Turkey. The word "Brougham" means "village by the fort". The castle was an important structure during the wars between England and Scotland and was in good shape with the Clifford family as the owners. Kind Edward I even visited th castle. In the 1600s, a new owner had the furnishings sold, and the castle started to fall to ruin. Today, it is managed by English Heritage.
Brougham Castle became a romantic ruin to visit for those who had money and could go to the Lake District. The castle was featured in a poem by William Wordsworth and in a painting by Turner.
There are picturesque views over the castle by the river, and I had a wonderful sunny morning to explore it.
The keep.
Visitors could climb up the keep and walk along the perimeter to see the views.
It was a clear day, so I could see for miles.
On top of the keep, one of the stones used to build the castle was a tombstone. It would have been from the fort below.
After viewing inside the castle, I had a walk around the walls.
This was a lovely castle to view with so much history, and I enjoyed my visit.
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