Brougham Castle
Brougham Castle in Brougham, which overlooks the river Eamont and stands on the site of a Roman fort at the meeting point of north-south and east-west routes approximately one and a half miles south-east of Penrith, was apparently built in the early 13th century by Robert de Vieuwpont. However, the castle passed to the Clifford family in approximately 1268. Robert Clifford, who was an important figure in the Scottish wars which started around 1296, carried out major work at Brougham Castle to strengthen it’s defences. Sadly, by the time of the Civil War the castle was in poor condition.
Fortunately, Lady Anne Clifford inherited the estate in 1643 and carried out major improvements, the wall plaster in the keep dates back to this time. When Lady Anne Clifford died here in 1676 the castle became the property of the Earl of Thanet. The Earl had inherited a few castles, however, he chose to concentrate solely on his castle at Appleby and therefore Brougham Castle rapidly fell into ruin. Apparently there is a descriptive leaflet available on site and there is also an interpretative exhibit on the Roman fort.
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