The Keep of Appleby Castle

#58 The Keep of Appleby Castle
Westmoreland, England
~1170 and later
This is NOT an official Lego site

The castle of Appleby in the Eden Valley of Cumbria probably began shortly after the capture of most of Westmoreland by King William II, third son on William the Conqueror, from the Scots in 1092. The fortress, initially a motte and bailey castle, was recaptured, along with nearby Brough Castle, by the Scots in 1136, but was regained by the English just 21 years later. It was probably the new owner, Hugh de Morville, who built the powerful square keep at Appleby in the next several years. Despite the new donjon, the castle fell again to the Scots without a fight in 1174. Appleby was retaken by King Richard the Lionheart in 1189, but later collusion by King John granted the castle and its environs to his henchman Robert de Vipont, nephew of Scotsman Hugh de Morville! The round tower on the north side of the bailey was built at this time. The next Robert de Vipont unfortunately took part in Simon de Montfort's 1263-4 rebellion against King Henry III. Vipont died and the Appleby estates, along with Robert's daughters Isabella and Idonea, were placed under King Henry's guardianship.

The wardship of Isabella is granted to Roger Clifford the Elder in 1265. She is pardoned by King Henry and promptly married Clifford's son, also Roger, who then possessed both Appleby and Brougham estates. [Incidentally, Roger de Leyburn married Idonea, and received both Brough and Pendragon.] Four Scottish raids between 1314 and 1322 fail to retake Appleby Castle. The Clifford family maintained possession of Appleby Castle for approximately 400 years, with numerous deteriorations, renovations and the occasional Scottish raid. Lady Anne Clifford [1590-1676] is perhaps the most celebrated of the family during this period. The main residential range at Appleby was rebuilt by Lady Anne's grandson, Thomas 6th Earl of Thanet, between 1686 and 1688. In 1849 the Appleby estates passed to Richard Tufton, the illegitimate son of the 11th (and last) Earl of Thanet. The history of Appleby from 1850 to 1972 seems a bit of a mystery, but in that year Appleby was purchased by Denis Vernon, CEO of Ferguson Industrial Holdings. In 2009 the estate was purchased by the Nightingale family, and the 25 acres of grounds and the Keep are open to the public - the view from the battlements of the Keep is outstanding.


General Plan of the Castle	Plan of Floors 1 through 3	Cutaway

Build Your Own

Three Elevations	Top Down & Fourth Elevation


Low View	High View