Lowther Castle in Cumbria has a surprising history. The wider estate has belonged to the Lowther family since the Middle Ages, with the original settlement founded in 1120 by Dolfin de Lowther, a nobleman descended from Danelaw Viking Conquerors.
In 1806, William, the 1st Earl of Lonsdale, commissioned the construction of Lowther Castle. 150 years later, his great-great-great grandson commissioned its demolition.
But that wasn’t the end of the story for Lowther Castle. 50 years later still, William’s great-great-great-great grandson Jim Lowther embarked on a programme to give the castle a sense of purpose again.
Artists at Lowther Castle
William Lowther inherited the estate from his cousin Sir James Lowther, a politician and landowner who had accumulated debts to his solicitor and legal agent, John Wordsworth – the father of the poet William Wordsworth. John worked for Lowther, who never paid him for various expenses.
When William Lowther inherited his cousin’s fortune, he immediately refunded the money to the Wordsworth family – and supported the young poet William Wordsworth financially. Wordsworth frequently stayed at Lowther Castle and wrote letters there, many of which have since been published.
William Lowther and his wife Augusta Lonsdale encouraged artists to visit Lowther Castle – one of which was JMW Turner. His painting Lowther Castle – Evening now hangs in the Bowes Museum in Barnard Castle.
Lowther Castle through the generations
After William died, the estate was passed down to his son William, who didn’t marry but had several illegitimate children. As he had no legitimate heirs, the estate passed to his nephew Henry, who died just four years later from pneumonia.
Lowther Estate then passed to his son St George, who again died young – in this instance, a short illness exacerbated by alcoholism. His younger brother Hugh inherited the castle, but he was an extravagant spender and ultimately had to sell some of his inherited properties, leaving Lowther Castle and moving to smaller accommodation.
Hugh’s brother Lancelot inherited the estate in 1944, but because of Hugh’s large debts he was forced to sell many of the family’s possessions. In 1953, he was succeeded by James, his grandson. He wanted to develop the estates and concentrate on farming, seeing Lowther Castle as an extravagance. The castle had been empty for many years, with the grounds and buildings having been used – and damaged – by the army during the war. James offered the castle as a gift to three local authorities, all of whom refused.
The only option was to open it to the public or demolish it – a challenge faced by many country houses after the war. With taxes to pay, James couldn’t afford to open it to the public, so he removed the roof and demolished most of the stonework, just leaving the façade and outer walls.
From collapsed ruin to tourist destination
Lowther Castle and its garden were opened to the public in 2011, following a period of extensive restoration and regeneration efforts, including the consolidation of the ruins and restoration of the 50-acre garden.
Lowther Castle & Gardens is now visited by 250,000 guests every year, but the restoration works are still very much underway.
2025: a pinnacle of achievement
In August 2025, a major milestone was reached when a south central gable – that straddles the turrets over the main entrance – was replaced. This pinnacle collapsed in 2000 and was yet to be restored – until now.
Original drawings and old photographs were consulted to decide how to replace the pinnacle. Fortunately, the original building was well constructed. “As we work our way round, we find nothing but respect for the original masons – who did not have anything like the equipment we can work with. In those days, it must have been all pulleys and winches and horsepower,” says stonemason James Lightfoot. “Everything is nevertheless inch-perfect. Besides a couple of original chisels, we came across plenty of masons’ marks.”
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