Armathwaite Castle

Armathwaite Castle is a fortified house with later extensions, probably dating to the mid-15th century, with significant alterations in the late 17th or early 18th century and a late 18th-century extension with late 19th-century modifications. The house is constructed of extremely thick red sandstone block walls, with the facade faced in dressed calciferous sandstone, all topped with a cornice and solid parapet. It has a double-span hipped roof covered in graduated greenslate, set within the parapet, with banded red sandstone chimney stacks. A later extension is built of dressed calciferous sandstone walls under a Mansard tile roof, featuring a banded calciferous sandstone ashlar chimney stack.

The main block is 2½ storeys over a basement, comprising five bays, with a 2½-storey, five-bay left extension. Broad stone steps lead to a central panelled and glazed door within a quoined surround, beneath a keyed lintel with a plain frieze and cornice. A later coat-of-arms of the Milbourne family sits above the entrance. There are late 19th-century leaded casement windows in original stone surrounds, and smaller attic sash windows with glazing bars in original stone surrounds. A straight joint in the right return wall reveals original medieval quoin stones with various masons' marks, suggesting a possible forward movement of the front of the house, although this is not definitively supported by the thickness of the front basement wall. Similar windows are present on the return.

The extension consists of two phases of construction, with the right three bays being the earlier. Central stone steps lead to a 20th-century door and overlight in a stone surround. The extension features casement windows in stone surrounds and gabled attic dormer windows. The rear fenestration demonstrates four distinct periods, including blocked small chamfered-surround medieval windows, 2-light stone-mullioned windows with removed mullions, large 18th-century sash windows with glazing bars, and round-headed staircase windows, all in stone surrounds, alongside some 20th-century windows in cement surrounds and plain reveals.

The left return wall incorporates a small chamfered-surround medieval window, adjacent to an 18th-century sash window in a stone surround, set under a medieval relieving arch.

The interior reveals no visible medieval features beyond the window splay recesses with masons' marks and mural recesses believed to be remnants of newel staircases. A late 17th-century full-height oak staircase is present, featuring heavy barley-twist balusters and a moulded handrail. Further interior details include some early 18th-century ceiling beams, moulded plaster cornices, and fragments of panelling. Following the 1939-45 war, the house was converted into a number of flats and is currently undergoing conversion back into a single dwelling. The land was granted in 1444 to John Skelton, and passed to his son, his father having undertaken considerable building work.