Appleby Castle stands above the ancient market town of Appleby-in-Westmorland in the beautiful Eden Valley.
The Normans built a motte and bailey on top of the hill and in 1100 Ralph de Briquessart constructed the stone keep which dominates the castle.
The fortress passed to the powerful Clifford family in the late 13th century. The Cliffords, one of the great northern families, also held the neighbouring castles of Brougham, Brough and Pendragon as well as Skipton Castle in Yorkshire.
In 1383 a residential range was added to the castle, probably by Roger de Clifford. The Clifford family became Earls of Cumberland but in the 17th century the direct line died out.
The last of the family was Lady Anne Clifford. After two unhappy marriages to the Earls of Dorset and Pembroke and a protracted lawsuit to inherit her father's estates, Lady Ann retired north in 1649 and she set about repairing the building in the traditional style.
When Lady Ann died in 1676 her great estates where divided between her daughter's families and the Castle passed to the Tufton family, Earls of Thanet, who rebuilt the residential ranges in a more modern style in 1686 - 96.
The property passed by descent until the late-20th century when it was acquired by Ferguson International Holdings plc. who opened Appleby Castle to the public and established a Rare Breeds Survival Trust centre in the grounds.
Today the castle is owned by Christopher Nightingale.
Appleby Castle has an inner bailey encircled by late-12th century curtain walls and later towers. Beyond this are the remnants of at least two outer baileys surrounded by earth mounds. These curtain walls and defensive earthworks are amongst the most impressive in northern England.
The free-standing Norman Keep, with turrets dating from the 1780s, stands on the west part of the courtyard. It is has five floors and from the top there is a dramatic view over the whole Eden Valley.
The first floor has medieval furniture and the second floor houses some 17th century furniture.
The third floor, which provides access to the roof, has a collection of 19th century bicyles.
Roger de Clifford's hall range is situated at the east end of the bailey. This was rebuilt by the Earl of Thanet in the 1680s and now has a fine Carolean appearance.
The Hall, the only room open to the public in this range, is two storeys high and has a coved ceiling with early-19th century plasterwork. The room has good 17th century furniture and there is a collection of Nanking china recovered from a 17th century shipwreck. Clifford portraits hang on the walls but the room is dominated by the great triptych on the north wall painted by the Flemish artist Jan van Belcamp,s commissioned by Lady Anne in 1646.
Appleby Castle is set in 27 acres of grounds. There are a variety of birds and animals on display, both domestic and foreign, including the collection of Rare Breeds.
The castle gates lead to the parish church at the bottom of the hill. Half way down are St Anne's Hospital almshouses which were built by Lady Anne in 1651 and display the Clifford arms. The Perpendicular church of St Michael was renovated by Lady Anne and inside are tomb monuments to Lady Anne (1676) and her mother, the Countess of Cumberland (1617).
