I generally have one rule when traveling in Britain, if there is a ruin near me, I will stop at the ruin. I love ruins. And Britain is full of them. Brougham Castle (pronounced ‘Broom’) is one of the finest Castle ruins I’ve ever been to. Situated in the heart of Cumbria, next to a river, Brougham Castle is a quintessential Medieval castle ruin.
The site is currently owned and managed by English Heritage, there is a small visitor center with artifacts found on the site along with a gift shop and a staff perfectly willing to help with guidance or history. The castle was founded by Robert I de Vieuxpont in the early 13th century. It’s actually been ‘ruined’ twice in its history, for the final time in the 1700s. Now it’s kept in stasis, with English Heritage seeking to keep it in its current form (when I was there, new cracks had appeared necessitating a visit from a conservation expert).
I had a wander around on a nice sunny July afternoon after a long day exploring the Lake District (this was back in 2018). The ruins are incredible. My only criticism is that the ruins are next to a rather busy road, so you don’t get that magical, peaceful feeling exploring an abandoned place deep in the English countryside. Still, it’s worth a stop. You can see it in less than an hour so it’s perfectly fine to do on your way to something else.
I hope you enjoy looking at the images I captured.
If you want to know more about the history of the place, the Wikipedia entry is perfectly suitable.
If you plan to visit, check the official English Heritage page first.
Here’s a video I shot on the day – sadly most of the sounds you hear are traffic.
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I looked at the pictures first then the video. The video shows it so big. Loved it. It reminded me of the first time my family and I went to Scotland and we came across Huntly Castle ruins. It is always amazing and for a history buff like me to see even the ruins and try to imagine those days gone by. Well done sir.
Thank you!