Muncaster Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Set on a spur overlooking the Esk valley, east of Ravenglass, Muncaster Castle has been the home of the Pennington family since the 13th century. Behind its Gothic Revival appearance lies a medieval refuge tower, typical of the pele towers built in the Anglo-Scottish Marches as protection against raids. The present building, of rubble stone and sandstone, follows a U-shaped plan punctuated by crenellated towers at the end of each wing. It results mainly from building campaigns in the late 18th century and then from the major remodelling carried out by Anthony Salvin in the 1860s, which gave the house a panelled hall, a drawing room with a decorated plaster ceiling and a spectacular octagonal galleried library. The estate is renowned for its park and gardens, with a terrace about 600 metres long opening onto the mountains of the Lake District and a rhododendron collection begun in the mid-19th century. Still lived in by descendants of the Penningtons, it is open to the public and hosts bird-of-prey displays, weddings and events.