Lowther Castle

At the top of the park stand the imposing remains of Lowther Castle and its hidden Gardens. The 130 acres of gardens and grounds were opened to visitors once in 1938 but after being used to test a secret tank weapon during the Second World War, the place was dismantled and abandoned.  Now the castle, its massive stables, gardens and over 140 acres of parkland are once again being brought to life.

Work began in April 2011 after the castle and gardens were leased to the independent charity, the Lowther Castle & Gardens Trust on a project supported by the Northwest Regional Development Agency, the European Regional Development fund and the Lowther Estate Trust.

The planned works will stabilise the castle, reveal the shapes and structures of the 17th century gardens and the overlying Edwardian gardens and create a high-quality visitor centre, education facilites and the Lowther Gallery and are currently well underway.

The 70 years of deterioration in the stable courtyard has been reversed and now includes a café, loos and a meeting room.  There is also a gift shop which is now open.  

The gardens are now open to the public and are constantly changing as the gardeners reveal much of the lost history and continue to reclaim  them.  There is also plenty of wildlife which is actively being encouraged, ensuring the creatures that were there before the work started don't move out and newcomers have now started to move in - from red squirrels, badgers and deer to many birds(including a heronry) and the rare Crested Newts.