Castles · North West England
Piel Castle
Piel Castle — Grade I listed building in Cumbria, United Kingdom.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Roose · 6.0 km
- Paid entry
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Piel Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Constructed primarily of sandstone. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Owned by Furness Abbey. Managed by English Heritage. Wikidata describes it as: "Grade I listed building in Cumbria, United Kingdom". Coordinates: 54.0625°, -3.1736°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Piel Castle, also known as Fouldry Castle or the Pile of Fouldray, is a castle situated on the south-eastern point of Piel Island, off the coast of the Furness Peninsula in north-west England. Built in the early-14th century by John Cockerham, the Abbot of neighbouring Furness Abbey, it was intended to oversee the trade through the local harbour and to protect against Scottish raids. The castle was built using stones from the local beach, and featured a large keep with surrounding inner and outer baileys. It was used as a base by the Yorkist pretender Lambert Simnel in 1487, but by 1534 it had fallen into ruin and passed into the hands of the Crown. Sea erosion began to cause significant damage to the castle in the early 19th century.
From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.
From English Heritage
The impressive ruins of a 14th-century castle with a massive keep, inner and outer baileys, and towered curtain walls still standing.
Read more on the official property page.
Protected designations
- Site of Special Scientific Interest: South Walney and Piel Channel Flats SSSI
- Ramsar wetland: Morecambe Bay
Designations sourced from Natural England open data under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Piel Castle, also known as Fouldry Castle or the Pile of Fouldray, is a castle situated on the south-eastern point of Piel Island, off the coast of the Furness Peninsula in north-west England. Built in the early-14th century by John Cockerham, the Abbot of neighbouring Furness Abbey, it was intended to oversee the trade through the local harbour and to protect against Scottish raids. The castle was built using stones from the local beach, and featured a large keep with surrounding inner and outer baileys. It was used as a base by the Yorkist pretender Lambert Simnel in 1487, but by 1534 it had fallen into ruin and passed into the hands of the Crown. Sea erosion began to cause significant damage to the castle in the early 19th century. In the 1870s the castle's owner, the Duke of Buccleuch, carried out extensive restoration work and erected outworks to protect it against further damage from the sea. In 1920 the castle was given to the town of Barrow-in-Furness and is now in the care of English Heritage. The castle is at threat from continued coastal erosion.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
Piel Castle was built on Piel Island, overlooking the deep water port of Piel Harbour outside of Barrow Haven, now called Barrow-in-Furness. There may have been an earlier 12th-century fortification on the island, possibly built by the local monks in the reign of King Stephen, but this is uncertain. The castle was built by John Cockerham, the Abbot of Furness Abbey around 1327, when Edward III gave the abbey a licence to crenellate on the site. Comprising a keep with an inner and outer bailey, the castle was intended to oversee the trade through the harbour, and to provide defence, as the Abbey had faced raids from Scotland in 1316 and 1322. , showing the keep (lower right) and the inner…
Architecture
The castle is built to an Edwardian concentric design, with a keep in the south-eastern corner, protected by an inner and outer bailey with stone curtain walls extending out to the north-west. The castle is built using stones from the local beach bonded with a liquid mortar, with the finer stonework, such as the doorways and windows, made from red ashlar sandstone imported from the mainland. Much of the surrounding island has been eroded by the sea and some of the castle has been lost, with fallen stone fragments still visible on the beach below. A carved female figure can be seen above the entrance arch, which may have been a representation of Salome. The eastern side of the keep has…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 54.0625, -3.1736
- District
- Westmorland and Furness
- Parish
- Barrow
- Postcode
- LA13 0QN
- Parliamentary constituency
- Barrow and Furness
- Nearest railway station
- Roose — 6 km
- Official site
- www.english-heritage.org.uk
Sources
- wikidata: Q2970220 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Piel Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Piel Castle.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Other places nearby
Loading nearby places…
Nearby
Flagship📷 3Islands · North West England
Piel Island
Piel Island — island in United Kingdom.
Flagship📷 3Islands · North West England
Roa Island
Roa Island — island in Morecambe Bay, Cumbria, England, UK.
📷 5Islands · North West England
Foulney Island
Foulney Island is a island in the United Kingdom.
📷 3Museums · North West England
Walney Lighthouse With Two Attached Cottages And Outbuildings
Walney Lighthouse With Two Attached Cottages And Outbuildings — buildings on Walney Island in Cumbria, England, UK.
📷 3Lighthouses · North West England
Walney Lighthouse
Walney Lighthouse — lighthouse in Cumbria, England, UK.
📷 3Forests & woodlands · North West England
South Walney Nature Reserve
South Walney Nature Reserve is a forest or woodland in the United Kingdom.
More places run by English Heritage
Flagship📷 10Museums · London
Kenwood House
Kenwood House — art museum and historic house in Hampstead, London.
📷 5Galleries · London
Apsley House
Apsley House — London townhouse of the Dukes of Wellington.
★ Iconic📷 5Abbeys & priories · London
Denny Abbey
Denny Abbey — church in South Cambridgeshire, England, UK.
📷 5Chapels · London
Duxford Chapel
Duxford Chapel — chapel in Whittlesford, Cambridgeshire, England, UK.
More castles in this region
📷 5Castles · North West England
Clitheroe Castle
Clitheroe Castle — castle in Lancashire, England, UK.
📷 3Castles · North West England
Castle Howe
Castle Howe — Castle in Cumbria, England.
📷 3Castles · North West England
Dalton Castle
Dalton Castle — Grade I listed local museum in Dalton Town with Newton, Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria , England, UK.
📷 5Castles · North West England
Dobroyd Castle
Dobroyd Castle — castle in Todmorden, West Yorkshire, England, UK.
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Piel Castle?
- Piel Castle is in North-West England, United Kingdom (postcode LA13 0QN), in the parish of Barrow.
- Who owns Piel Castle?
- Piel Castle is owned by Furness Abbey and operated by English Heritage.
- Is Piel Castle a listed building?
- Piel Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Is Piel Castle a protected site?
- Yes — Piel Castle is part of the South Walney and Piel Channel Flats SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest and the Morecambe Bay Ramsar wetland.
- Does Piel Castle charge admission?
- Piel Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Piel Castle?
- The nearest railway station is Roose, about 6.0 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode LA13 0QN.