A red sandstone castle on the River Eamont, about 2 miles from Penrith, restored by Lady Anne Clifford and climbable to the top of the keep. Where to park, what it costs to get in, and its story.
South-east of Penrith
Brougham Castle is the red sandstone ruin on the River Eamont, about 2 miles south-east of Penrith. English Heritage looks after it. In its words, the castle stands near the site of a Roman fort, guarding a strategic river crossing.
We have been inside on earlier visits. On Sunday 18 October 2026 we walked past it on our Eamont Bridge circular and photographed it from outside, from the fields and from across the river. Every photo on this page is from that day.
The question everyone asks
No. There is an admission charge, and English Heritage members get in free. We don't print the prices or the opening times because both change through the season. English Heritage's Brougham Castle page has the current ones.
You can see a lot of the castle for nothing from the fields and the riverbank. If you only want a look and a photo, the walk past it is free. Nearby, Brougham Hall and the two henges at Eamont Bridge cost nothing to visit either.
Before you get out of the car
There is no car park. English Heritage says there is no parking on site, but roadside parking is possible nearby.
Where to park. There is an informal spot on a dead-end triangle just off the bridge by the castle, at ///branch.complain.crinkled. It isn't an official car park, so leave room for anyone getting past.
Or walk in. Brougham Hall has a free car park and the castle is a short walk from it. So are the henges at Eamont Bridge, where our circular walk starts.
Eight hundred years
The Romans were here first. The castle sits near where the Eamont and the Lowther meet. Wikipedia says the Romans built a fort here called Brocavum, where three Roman roads met, and that the castle went up in the northern part of the old fort. The name Brougham, it adds, means "the village by the fort". English Heritage counts that Roman fort among the possible sites of the meeting of kings in 927, usually taken as the founding of England; see Eamont Bridge and the birth of England for the story and the 1,100th anniversary festival in July 2027.
English Heritage says the castle was founded in the early 13th century by Robert de Vieuxpont, King John's agent. His great keep still dominates it.
By 1269, according to Wikipedia, the castle had passed by marriage to the Clifford family, and it stayed with them for centuries. English Heritage calls them lords of Cumberland and Wardens of the Marches. They added the buildings round the keep, including an unusual double gatehouse and the Tower of League. Wikipedia records two royal visits: Edward I in 1300, and James I in 1617.
English Heritage says the castle fell into decay after 1617. Lady Anne Clifford brought it back (more on her below). After her death it declined again: Wikipedia says the contents were sold off in 1714, and that the ruin later inspired a painting by J. M. W. Turner and a mention at the start of Wordsworth's The Prelude. In 1927, Wikipedia says, its owner handed it into the care of the Office of Works.
The woman who rebuilt it
Lady Anne Clifford fought for 29 years to win her family's northern estates, and won them in 1643. Brougham, Appleby and Brough castles came with them. She began repairing Brougham in 1650, and Wikipedia says the work was mostly done by 1653. English Heritage calls her "the indomitable Lady Anne Clifford", and there is an exhibition about her life inside the castle.
She died at Brougham Castle in 1676.
She left her mark on Brougham Hall too, down the road: she rebuilt its chapel.
About half a mile from the castle stands the Countess Pillar, which English Heritage says Lady Anne put up in 1656 to mark the last time she saw her mother, in 1616. Money was given to the poor on the anniversary, on the low stone beside it. English Heritage has listed it as closed for nearby National Highways work, so check its page before you go.
Inside the castle
The keep is four storeys high. English Heritage says you can climb the spiral stairs to the top for panoramic views over the Eden Valley and the earthworks of the Roman fort of Brocavum next door. With its complex of passages and spiral stairways, English Heritage calls it a fascinating castle to explore.
The exhibition about Lady Anne includes stone carvings from the Roman fort and some later pottery finds.
Practical bits
Not a café as such. English Heritage says the shop on site serves tea, coffee and hot chocolate, with cold drinks and snacks. There are toilets, and two picnic benches inside the ruins. For a sit-down café, the Hideaway Café at Brougham Hall is a short walk away.
Dogs on leads are welcome, says English Heritage, but not on the private land by the river. The river itself is on private land, so there is no access to it from the castle.
Make an afternoon of it
The castle is one of four places on our Eamont Bridge circular walk, 4.6 miles with the two henges, Brougham Hall and the castle, and the riverside fields back.
Is it worth visiting? Yes. It is a proper castle to climb about in, a couple of miles from Penrith, and the view of it across the Eamont is one of the best photos round here. Go in if you can; if not, the walk past is free.
Good to know
Keep exploring
The 4.6-mile circular past the castle, the hall and the two henges.
The fortified hall down the road, with makers' workshops and a café.
Another castle ruin with gardens, a few miles south.
Things to do in the town, where to eat and where to stay.