Bridge Over Outer Moat

The bridge over the outer moat at Carlisle Castle is a drawbridge that has been converted to an overbridge. It has medieval origins with late 18th century additions and a 20th century rebuilding of the parapet. The structure is made from large blocks of squared red sandstone. At the base of the bridge, there are drawbridge abutments that were heightened between 1778 and 1791, with a brick arch added during this time. The solid parapet on the west side features coping that is inscribed by various 19th century soldiers who served in the garrison, while the right parapet has been rebuilt with new coping. The roadway consists of Whin sets with a central sandstone pedestrian walk, all of which were reset in the late 1980s. A watercolour by Robert Carlyle depicts the arched bridge in 1791, which is not shown in Hearne's engraving from 1778. For further details, refer to McCarthy et al (1990).