The Architectural Heritage of Muncaster Castle

May 2006

This Local Heritage Initiative Project (as reported in the December magazine) is now in full flow. There have been four visits by the experts from English Heritage (and others) including two lasting a week each. A handful of volunteers with an interest in archives are researching historic documents, both at Muncaster and elsewhere. Other people are helping in a variety of ways.

A public meeting was hosted at Muncaster on 22nd February, when over 60 people young and old attended, to hear about initial findings on the age and phases of the Castle as a result of the preliminary investigations. Al Oswald, a landscape archaeologist, also gave a fascinating insight into how to “read” historic features of the countryside, with an emphasis on the Parish of Muncaster.

Already, many interesting discoveries have been made including the fact that Muncaster boasts one of the best preserved ranges of Victorian domestic areas in the country including kitchens, storerooms, a bakery, larders, pantries and a servants’ hall. Most of these rooms are currently filled with “clutter” – some ancient, some very modern!

The experts are beginning to unravel what was built by whom and when, but one of the most exciting discoveries has been made by Alex Chatburn, our volunteer archivist co-ordinator and her volunteers. In the National Library of Scotland, she has unearthed the diaries of the 1st Lord Muncaster, who lived at Muncaster between 1779 and 1813. As well as much information on the works Lord Muncaster carried out, including building the library, there are wonderful domestic references, such as “Dr Jackson sent me some dwarf pease which are to be eaten after the manner of kidney beans, shell and all” – was this his first taste of what we would now call “mange-tout”?

The main purpose of this article, however, is to publicise the next and possibly most exciting group of public meetings and practical sessions, aimed primarily at the local communities of the four parishes. All are welcome, but as you will see below some tours and workshops can only accommodate limited numbers.

All meetings and workshops are free, and the main meeting “Muncaster Castle Unmasked” will be held in the Old Laundry at Muncaster at 7pm on Friday the 16th June. Nigel Entwistle of Ravenglass has kindly agreed to co-ordinate this, but please direct all enquires to our website, www.muncaster.co.uk or the Estate Office on 01229 717614. Please note these meetings are delivered by some of the best experts in the country and should be of interest to anyone who wishes to learn how to “read” a landscape or old building, whether a byre or a Castle.

November 2005

After considerable work, Muncaster has been successful in a bid to the Local Heritage Initiative (LHI) for the project to peel back the years at the Castle, trying to find out the different phases of building and to determine just how old the Castle actually is. The official title of the project is
"The Architectural Heritage of Muncaster Castle."

Experts from English Heritage will carry out most of the detailed investigative work, but volunteers are needed to help with many aspects of the project. During the course of the project, we hope to host a series of public meetings to explain what is happening, and tell people about the research findings. In addition to this, the experts from English Heritage will present a one day workshop on how to study and "read" old buildings, and this will be of interest to anyone with a love of history and archictecture. This day will include an illustrated lecture and site visits to a selection of builidngs in the area, including the Castle itself. Adam Menuge and Ian Goodall of English Heritage are top experts in this field, and we are delighted at the prospect of them working in and around Muncaster over a number of weeks.

At the end of the detailed research phase, a plain English report on the results will be produced, launched and made available at Muncaster. The results will also be used to improve the educational services and interpretation available at Muncaster.

A series of articles and updates on the project will be posted on this website, giving dates and venues for the open meetings. In the meantime, if anyone is interested in volunteering to help with the project please contact Peter Frost-Pennington on 01229 717614 or email peter@muncaster.co.uk

August 2005

Supported by the Local Heritage Initiative, which is a partnership between the Countryside Agency, the Heritage Lottery Fund and Nationwide.

Despite folklore and some evidence that Muncaster Castle has developed from a medieval pele tower dating to around 1300, little is known about the structure of the castle pre 1861. Local archaeologists have commenced preliminary investigations in the gardens, which could support the alleged Roman ocupation of the site. Architectural historians from English Heritage and experts from the Lake District National Park Authority suggested that, prior to any further significant archaeological investigations taking place in the gardens, the existing buildings on site should be closely examined and a full historical architectural survey on the castle be carried out. An archival research project (phase one) has now been completed, and we hope to proceed soon with an on site full architectural survey (phases 2 and 3). To read the full Phase One report, please click here.