Photo: Ian Knox / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)
Sizergh Castle is a Grade I listed castle in Cumbria, cared for by the National Trust. Read about its history, architecture and gardens, plus how to visit and what's nearby.
About Sizergh Castle
Sizergh Castle stands at Helsington, four miles south of Kendal in Cumbria.
The house was built around a 14th-century pele tower with later Tudor and Elizabethan additions, and is Grade I listed.
The Hornyold-Strickland family continues to live here, while the National Trust manages the house, garden and grounds as part of the Lake District National Park estate.
The gardens include one of the largest rock gardens in the Trust's care.
Read more on WikipediaHistory of Sizergh Castle
The pele tower at the heart of Sizergh is thought to date from around the 1340s, built as a defensive stronghold against Scottish raids common in the border region at the time. The Strickland family held the estate for more than 750 years before it passed into the care of the National Trust in 1950, with later generations continuing as the Hornyold-Stricklands. Tudor and Elizabethan wings were added to the original tower over the following centuries, giving the house its present layered appearance.
Architecture of Sizergh Castle
The house grew around a 14th-century pele tower, with Tudor and Elizabethan ranges added in later centuries, producing a building that mixes medieval defence with later domestic comfort. It is listed Grade I for its architectural and historic importance.
Worth knowing
Sizergh is notable for having stayed in the hands of one family, the Stricklands and their descendants the Hornyold-Stricklands, for more than seven centuries, a rare continuity for an English country estate now under National Trust care.
Gardens & grounds at Sizergh Castle
The rock garden at Sizergh is among the largest the National Trust looks after and remains a key reason visitors come to the estate.
Facilities
Plan your visit to Sizergh Castle
Address: Kendal, LA8 8AE
Nearest station: Oxenholme Lake District Rail Station (2.5 miles)
Part of the Lake District National Park: see all the National Trust places there, with a map and day-trip routes.
Places to visit near Sizergh Castle
Fell Foot Park
View Fell Foot Park on heritage mapStott Park Bobbin Mill
View Stott Park Bobbin Mill on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Sizergh Castle (LA8) there are 1 historic properties, including 1 historic house.
Within 10 miles of Sizergh Castle (LA8) there are 11 historic properties, including 6 historic houses and 3 landscapes, across Historic Houses, National Trust and English Heritage sites.
Within 20 miles of Sizergh Castle (LA8) there are 25 historic properties, including 9 historic houses, 5 landscapes and 3 churchs, across National Trust, Historic Houses and English Heritage sites.
Stay nearby
Make more of your visit with an overnight stay near Sizergh Castle.
Find places to stay nearby Affiliate link. We may earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you.Facts
A 14th-century pele tower still lived in by the family that built it, after more than 700 years.
- Type
- castle
- Location
- Cumbria, England
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