Whitehaven Castle

(See also Whitehaven)

Whitehaven Castle, never a castle in the true sense of the word, was a mansion first owned by the Fletcher family and known as the Flatt. It was purchased by the Lowther family and renovated and rebuilt in 1675 by Sir John Lowther. It was added to by the first Earl of Lonsdale, James Lowther, in 1769. The castle was owned by a number of people until the 1760's when Sir William Lowther of Holker had it rebuilt and named it Whitehaven Castle. The Lowthers continued to own the site up to the 1920's when it was turned into a hospital. The hospital closed in the 1980's, and the castle passed into the hands of a developer.

The large quadrangular shaped building lies on the southeast outskirts of Whitehaven. At the entrance there are two Roman altars. One was found at Ellenborough, the other at Moresby. Pleasure grounds and ornamental gardens made up part of the grounds.

The site on which the Castle was built was rumoured to be a place of worship for the Druids. Wood salvaged from the castle has been used in furniture making in modern times.

Whitehaven Castle
Whitehaven is located off the A595 on Cumbria's west coast.

The castle and grounds are private and not open to the public.

Photo courtesy Julian Thurgood

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