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Greystoke(See also Gill Pottery)
Clustered around the green 17th century stone houses and cottages are decorated with slate roofs and cobbled forecourts. A school dates to 1838. A pub, the Boot and Shoe, looks over the green.
In the countryside nearby are a number of pele towers, notably Blencow Hall (a date on the door reads 1590), Greenthwaite Hall, and Johnby Hall. All are reminders of the unsettled times of the Border Reivers.
Location Map of Greystoke Greystoke Castle Art and craft exhibitions in the church in May and August. Photos courtesy of Graeme Dougal and Steve Bulman © 1997-2008 by The Cumbria Directory. Reproduction of this work in whole or in part, including images, and reproduction in electronic media, without documented permission from The Cumbria Directory is prohibited. |
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Greystoke, a village on the outskirts of the Lake District National
Park, retains its village green with its ancient market cross that dates back at least to the
early 1600's.
The foundation of the church of St Andrew dates back to the mid-1200's. The
present day collegiate church, built in the Perpendicular style, was financed by the
14th Baron of Greystoke Castle and was completed over a number of years starting in
1382 and finishing in the 15th century. The massive tower still houses the bells of
that century.
The Baron added three chapels to each side of the church to
provide space for a college for canons. The walls were removed after the Reformation; thus the
interior is the size of a cathedral. Inside are medieval and Victorian stained glass windows
(including one by Charles Kempe), alabaster effigies of knights, a 14th century oak
table, and misericords in the choir stalls.
On Church Road is the Sanctuary Stone. This stone relates
to the time when fugitives from justice were granted sanctuary upon reaching a church and
claiming the right. The stone once lay in the church precincts. Another village stone is named
Spillers and is thought to be a plague stone. The custom was for plague victims to leave coins in
its hollowed-out top, which was filled with vinegar to protect the healthy people, who then left
food for the sick.
Greystoke Castle, the
seat of the Howard family from the 1500's, was an integral part of village life. The first stone
building to occupy the site was constructed in 1129 and served as protection against raids from
the Scottish. It was crenellated in the 1300's. Cromwell destroyed much of it. A devastating fire
in 1868 laid waste to the restored castle. Only the medieval pele tower and a few Georgian
interiors survived.
The present building,
in the Elizabethan style, dates from the 19th century and was designed by Anthony
Salvin. The castle stands in a great wooded park of 3000 acres. The grounds contain three well
known folly farmholds: Bunker's Hill, Fort Putnam, and Spire House. The first two were built to
look like fortresses and the last like a church.
The Romans built a road that ran from Penrith through
Greystoke on its way to Troutbeck. Greystoke's name means 'place by the River Creik', a small
stream nearby. The River Petteril, not far away, is more noticeable. The village was known as
Creistock in 1167. By any name, it is an interesting mix of historical attractions.