Tudor Wing West of High Head Castle is a Grade II* listed building in the Westmorland and Furness local planning authority area, England. First listed on 24 October 1986. Castle.

Tudor Wing West of High Head Castle

WRENN ID
half-pediment-rain
Grade
II*
Local Planning Authority
Westmorland and Furness
Constituency
Penrith and Solway MP: Markus Campbell-Savours (Lab)
Country
England
Date first listed
24 October 1986
Type
Castle
Address
Tudor Wing West of High Head Castle, Skelton
OS grid reference
NY 402 433
Coordinates
54.78133, -2.93029
Source
Historic England listing

Also on this page: flood risk · radon risk · weather exposure · detailed attributes ↓

Description

The Tudor wing west of High Head Castle is a Grade II* listed structure, dating from the mid-16th century and originally built for the Richmond family. This wing has been partly incorporated into an 18th-century extension and is now in ruins, having suffered significant damage from a fire in 1956. The building features thick red sandstone rubble walls, an eaves cornice, and a parapet, but it currently lacks a roof.

It stands two storeys high with five bays. The present facade, which was originally the rear of the building, does not have doorways; the left open doorway is a 20th-century addition, while two 19th-century doorways have been blocked to create windows. The windows are four-light hollow-chamfered stone-mullioned types with rounded heads and hoodmoulds, although some smaller chamfered-surround windows appear to be 20th-century replacements. Ground-floor two-light windows, which were formerly doorways, are also of 20th-century origin.

One ground-floor window has been completely removed, leaving an open arch that is partly obscured by a small ruined lean-to washhouse or outhouse, likely from the 18th century but built on earlier foundations. The original facade was entirely plastered over when the 18th-century wing was added, serving as an internal dividing wall. Now in ruins, the plaster is falling off, exposing blocked four-light chamfered windows and a panel displaying the Richmond arms. The interior contains fallen rubble but still has some window seats and fireplace recesses.

Although this wing is now an integral part of the 18th-century castle, it was originally a free-standing structure. If the 18th-century wing were to be lost, this Tudor wing would revert to its original form and represent the only visible remains of the medieval castle.

Local climate

Tudor Wing West of High Head Castle sits in one of the wettest parts of the UK, with an average of 1,160 mm of rain a year. This makes it wetter than 90% of listed buildings in the UK. Its exposure to wind-driven rain is greater than that of 83% of listed buildings.

It experiences an average of 55 freeze-thaw cycles a year, more than 95% of listed buildings. Of these, 32 follow at least 1 mm of rain in the preceding 48 hours. Average temperatures at this location have risen by 0.3°C per decade since 1991.

Averages for 1991–2020; temperature trend 1991–2025. Figures describe the wider area (a grid cell of roughly 10 km), not the individual site. Contains modified Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2026.

More on this building

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  3. Garden Gate, Piers and Wall Immediately North of Eighteenth Century Wing of High Head Castle Grade II* 40 m
  4. Former stable range, barn and gin-gang for High Head Castle Grade II 61 m
  5. High Head Chapel Grade II 318 m
  6. Thistlewood Tower Grade I 682 m
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  9. High Bridge Grade II 937 m
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