Whitehaven Castle

Whitehaven Castle was formerly the Whitehaven residence of the Lowther family who owned much of the town from the 17th C. and were largely responsible for its development.

The appellation of  "Castle" as with many such buildings in Britain is a misnomer as it was never considered a fortification. It was developed  by Sir John Lowther from another house on the site called "The Flatt" previously owned by Sir George Fletcher of Hutton until 1675. This explains why this end of Lowther Street is known as  "Flatt Walks". In 1769 The Earl of Lonsdale, Sir James Lowther, rebuilt it in the form we know, renaming it Whitehaven Castle. It stayed with the Lowther family until 1920 when it was purchased by Mr Walker and donated, along with £20,000, to the town as a hospital. In 1948 it was absorbed by the National Health service and used for the elderly. Eventually it was sold off to developers causing much public outcry. It was allowed to stand, falling into ruin, for several years but has now been redeveloped into apartments. Externally it looks as good as ever, although inside it has been completely revamped.

The area of woodland behind the Castle was originally part of the estate and gardens and contains a carriageway that leads around the back of the house and up onto the main road north. These woods were originally laid out in the shape of a rabbit and contain ventillation shafts for the railway and a subterrainean ice house. The gardens also extended across the road and covered much of what is now Safeway's car park and the Sports Centre and playing fields. The Bird's Eye View from about 1730 shows these were laid out in a formal ornamental style.

The lawns to the townside of the castle are now a public park and have a bandstand at one end for open air concerts and an enlosed play area for younger children, with slides and swings near the castle. There is seating all around the edge of the park and gates leading to Lowther Street and Duke Street. At the entrance is a cenotaph and across the road the old drinking fountain has been enhanced with a statue of a man and dog stopping for a drink.