Pendragon Castle

Mallerstang is a lonely valley outside Kirkby Stephen. And all on its own in the valley stands the ruined castle of Pendragon. Legends abound around it. 'Pen' is the Celtic word for a hill and the castle stands on a mound, so obviously a dragon once lived within the mound!

Then there is Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur. Uther was a legendary warrior and fought against the Saxons up and down the country. It is possible to imagine that he had the castle built as a hideout. And of course Merlin would have to be involved! Unfortunately he failed with Uther's request to have the River Eden diverted to flow round the castle's moat. The engineering or magic did not work and thus the origin of the famous lines:

Let Uther Pendragon do what he can
Eden will run where Eden ran.

There is still a moat, but it remains dry!

In the 12th century the Normans built a pele tower on the mound. Excavations have found signs of underground storage, a first floor hall, sleeping quarters on the second floor and a roof deck used for hurling missiles at the enemy.

Pendragon Castle was actually built during the reign of Henry II by Sir Hugh de Morville, who was one of the conspirators in the murder of Thomas a Becket. It was burnt down twice by the Scots, once in the 14th century and again in the 16th century. It was then neglected until 1660, when Lady Anne Clifford had it restored and stayed there on several occasions. Eventually it was left to decay, was plundered for its stone and became the ruin we see today.

It is in private hands, but it is possible to walk round it, if you are willing to ignore the signs that say you can't do this! Talking to the chap who looks after the place revealed the uncanny fact that it was the funeral today of the lady who owns it. No one knows what, if anything, will happen to it in the future.

I chose this image, because I liked the drama. If you want to see more of the castle try here.