Piel Castle

Piel Castle is a Grade I listed ruin located on Piel Island in Barrow-in-Furness. The castle was licensed in 1327, dismantled in 1403, and underwent repairs around 1429. It is constructed from cobble rubble with red sandstone dressings. The incomplete three-storey keep now consists of two long cells and features a north gatehouse, with the east side having collapsed. The inner defense is present on two sides, including a gatehouse to the west and corner towers. The less complete outer bailey includes a section of wall and freestanding towers connected by a mound and ditch.

The keep has a chamfered plinth, offset diagonal buttresses, and mid-point buttresses. It originally had pointed, two-light windows with quatrefoils. The vaulted gatehouse features a moulded, pointed arch with a carved figure on the keystone and hexagonal clasping buttresses. An internal spiral stair on the left is illuminated by slits on either side of the buttress, while the wall bows out at another spiral stair on the right return. A projection at the south-east corner has different floor levels, and there are vaulted look-outs at the corners of the parapet.

The inner defense includes a two-storey west gatehouse with pointed arches and two flights of steps against the wall to the north, while the north-west tower is five-sided. Furness Abbey, which engaged in significant trade through Piel Harbour, fortified this site soon after the Scottish invasions of 1316 and 1322. The castle served as a secure warehouse for contraband goods, including Flemish wool. Henry IV briefly took possession of the castle, but the abbots stripped the roof to prevent him from installing revenue men. In 1487, Lambert Simnel and an army of mercenaries landed at Piel, intending to dethrone Henry VII, but their campaign ended in defeat at the Battle of Stoke. By 1530, the castle had long been in ruins. It is now a Scheduled Ancient Monument under the care of English Heritage.