Of the many treasures waiting to be discovered in the English Lake District, Lowther Castle is a particular gem. Built at the turn of the 19th century on the site of two previous houses, the castle was a grand affair boasting a room for every day of the year. Its gardens were the envy of the north.

But in 1957 the castle was demolished. Just the façade and outer walls remained standing and for over half a century, the place was empty – home only to chickens, pigs and the odd bat. The gardens were lost to wilderness.

Today Lowther Castle is one of the most intriguing visitor attractions in the country. Dramatic ruins, gardens within gardens, an adventure playground to rival the best in the land.

We started working at The Castle in May 2023 on what we call Phase 1, which is the large part to the right hand side that faces out towards Penrith.

Our first task was to secure and make safe all the dangerous areas of the Castle walls to create a safe working environment. With Phase 1 been fully scaffolded we could start the work of repointing the old lime joints with new lime and fill in and patch up any and all holes, gaps and bad bits! in the Castle walls, using some of the original stone from the Castle grounds to do so ( we had plenty to choose from! ) We also used and mixed in new stone from the quarry as needed.

We have put the Merlons back onto the towers, turrets and Castle walls, rebuilt windows and large sections of Castle that had collapsed and saved other areas from the same fate.

Phase 1 was completed early 2024 and we started Phase 2 at the same time. With lots more of the same to do in 2024 on Phase 2.

Phase 2 is the large part of the Castle walls that faces the Garden on the inside, to the left side, looking from the gardens. We are hoping Phase 2 will be finished by the end of 2024.

Then it will be on with Phase 3 in 2025! The rest of the Castle walls and turrets further onwards towards the gardens.