Lowther Castle

Lowther Castle is a country house built as a sham castle, now a roofless ruin. It was constructed between 1806 and 1814 on the site of a medieval hall by Sir Robert Smirke for the 1st Earl of Lonsdale. The building is made of calciferous sandstone ashlar and features a string course and battlemented parapets.

The design includes a tall central square stair tower, which rises above a three-storey, three-bay central section flanked by two-storey, three-bay wings. There are low flanking recessed three-bay links leading to two-storey, three-bay end pavilions, with each corner featuring either a circular or octagonal turret. The central porte-cochere has pointed arches beneath tracery stone panels, a battlemented parapet, and octagonal, panelled turrets.

The central bays display a mix of fenestration, including a four-light Tudor window above the porch and pointed-arched windows. The ground floor of the wings has pointed-arched tracery windows beneath two-light Tudor-style windows, while the pavilions also feature two-light Tudor-style windows. Currently, all windows are without tracery or mullions.

The house was closed in 1935, having over 260 rooms and costing £77,000 to build. It was partly used as a tank training range during World War II. The contents were sold in 1947, and the roof was removed in 1957. For further details, see "Architectural Drawings from Lowther Castle" by Colvin, Crook & Friedman, and "The Yellow Earl" by D. Sutherland for the later history of the castle.