As you walk out of the station

The Citadel
This is the view that greets visitors to Carlisle as they walk out of the railway station - the Citadel.

It was originally built in the 1550s on the orders of Henry VIII, in order to shore up the protection provided by the Castle. It comprised two massive stone built towers, with fortress buildings behind, strong enough to withstand artillery attack. The original Medieval English Gate was retained to the west.

The towers were demolished in 1807 so the buildings and adjoining ground could be used for courts of justice for the county. A few years later the towers were recreated to be as similar to the original towers as possible. Thomas Telford was involved with the design of the eastern tower (the one on the right), which is the one that still has some of the original stone from the 16th century building.

Until recently the Citadel was still used for civil courts but, since being vacated, they are now open for visits and now there are plans to develop the whole area, link it with the station and make it into one complex.

I have added as an extra a similar photo from Edwardian times as I thought it was interesting.

A wet day to be wandering the city but we did manage an excellent (Greek) lunch.