Inner Bailey Palace Range Including Part Of Queen Mary'S Tower

The Inner Bailey Palace Range, which includes part of Queen Mary's Tower, is a palace range dating from the early 14th century, with extensive alterations made between 1819 and 1821. The stonework was restored in the late 1970s. It is constructed from squared red sandstone blocks and features a graduated greenslate roof with a coped gable on the left side. The façade has four regularly spaced sash windows with glazing bars set in stone reveals, which were cut through earlier infilled windows that are still visible.

The left return wall was previously covered by the Long Hall, which was demolished in 1812, and it retains doorways that linked the ground floor and upper floor, although these are now blocked. The right return features a projecting stair turret that was originally internal, and it has blind 14th-century tracery ribs beneath a crenellated parapet that once supported a cupola.

The interior has been extensively altered, but original floor levels and 16th-century fireplaces can still be seen in the walls. Historically, a watercolour by Robert Carlyle from around 1791, located in Carlisle Museum, depicts the building before its alterations, showcasing its large upper floor chapel windows. The building was converted into barracks in 1821 and was left as a shell after a fire in 1890, after which it was re-roofed. It now houses the Museum of the King's Own Royal Border Regiment and is referred to as Queen Mary's Tower, although the actual Queen Mary's Tower was demolished in 1835. Additionally, there is a former 19th-century cookhouse at the rear, which features a central plank door and sash windows with glazing bars. The Castle is designated as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.