| Summary : Gate tower, known as the Captain's Tower, and the inner bailey curtain walls of Carlisle Castle. The walls are dated to the 12th Century and are constructed of sandstone. The inner bailey is roughly triangular comprising north, south and west walls. The west walls face into the outer bailey and have a central three-storey gate tower which, according to most sources, dates to the 12th century. Later phases of alterations are said to be difficult to define but changes are thought to have taken place in the 13th, 14th and mid-16th centuries as well as the 19th and 20th centuries. |
More information : Captain's Tower, which was built in the 1160s and projects forward of the wall in order to enable soldiers to fire upon attackers scaling the walls to either side. The gatehouse was altered in the late 14th century and again in the mid-16th century when a wide wall walk carried on a high arch was added for the specific purpose of moving cannon around the walls. Internally the gatehouse has a porter's lodge on the ground floor, two floors above the gate passage which house small rooms, and a portcullis housing together with a small chute built into the wall for the portcullis counterweight. (1)
Gate tower and the inner bailey curtain walls of Carlisle Castle. The walls are dated to the 12th Century and are constructed of sandstone. The inner bailey is roughly triangular comprising north, south and west walls. The west walls face into the outer bailey and have a central 3-storey gate tower dating to the C13. The tower was altered in the C14 and again in 1819 when the crenellation was removed. (2)
This report contains detailed information about the history and construction of the inner gatehouse, or Captain's Tower, built in the 12th century. It describes the interior and exterior of the inner gatehouse and contains plans, photographs and measured drawings of elevations. See report for further details. (3)
Additional information, please see source for details. (4)
The guidebook for Carlisle Castle outlines the history of the Captain's Tower which dates to the 12th century. It states that it isn't exactly clear when the later additions and alterations were made, however the section and plan drawings divide the phases into: 12th century, 13th-15th century, 16th-early 19th century and Mid-19th-20th century.
The guidebook also contains photographs, a section drawing of the tower and plans for each level indicating the phases of construction. It also features a watercolour painting dating to 1810 showing the Captain's Tower. (5)
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