Photo: CellsDeDells / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
About this place
Wray Castle stands on the western shore of Windermere in Cumbria, a Victorian neo-gothic house within the Lake District National Park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The National Trust has cared for the estate since 1929, making it one of the charity's early Lake District holdings.
The castle building is currently closed for refurbishment, with the grounds, café and shoreline paths remaining open all year.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
The house passed through private ownership before the National Trust acquired it and its surrounding shoreline in 1929, one of the charity's earliest footholds in the Lake District. It later opened to the public before closing in 2024 for major refurbishment, with reopening planned for 2027. The estate lies within the historic county of Lancashire, a reminder that county boundaries here were redrawn long after the castle was built.
Architecture
Built in the Victorian neo-gothic style, the castle and its ancillary buildings are protected under the National Heritage List for England as Grade II* listed structures. The grounds themselves are not registered as a historic park or garden.
Worth knowing
The Potter family rented Wray Castle for the summer of 1882, when Beatrix Potter met the local vicar Canon Hardwicke Rawnsley, who later co-founded the National Trust in 1895.
Gardens & grounds
The grounds run down to the shore of Windermere with waymarked walks, a picnic area and cycle parking, making them a popular stop for lake shore walkers rather than a formal garden visit.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Windermere Rail Station (2.8 miles)
Nearby properties
Stagshaw Garden
View Stagshaw Garden on heritage mapGalava
View Galava on heritage mapWindermere and Troutbeck
View Windermere and Troutbeck on heritage mapTownend
View Townend on heritage mapTabitha Twitchit
View Tabitha Twitchit on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Wray Castle there are 10 historic properties, including 9 historic buildings, across National Trust, English Heritage and Historic Houses sites.
Within 10 miles of Wray Castle there are 14 historic properties, including 11 historic buildings, across National Trust, English Heritage and Churches Conservation Trust sites.
Within 20 miles of Wray Castle there are 38 historic properties, including 15 historic buildings, 12 historic houses and 4 archaeological sites, across Historic Houses, National Trust and English Heritage sites.
Facts
A Victorian gothic house on Windermere where Beatrix Potter met the founder of the National Trust.
- Type
- castle
- Location
- Claife, England
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