Sizergh Castle - Nr Kendal, Cumbria (NT)
Despite the rather eccentric opening hours of Sizergh Castle (closed on Fridays and Saturdays!), this substantial building is well worth seeking out. It's appearance today testifies to the changing fashions and use of the homes of the ruling classes over the last seven centuries. The oldest part of the castle is the central block, originally a medieval great hall with a large mid-fourteenth century solar tower built onto it's right hand side. The Deincourt family had owned the land here since the 1170's and on the marriage of Elizabeth Deincourt to Sir William de Stirkeland in 1239, it passed into the hands of what became the Strickland family, who retained the estate until it was gifted to the National Trust in 1950.
The tower was built to house the family in grander style, following Sir Walter's distinguished service for both Edward I and IIs' wars with the Scottish. In 1336, a grant from Edward III allowed him to enclose the land around Sizergh as his exclusive park. When he died, the Strickland family was one of the most important in Westmorland and successive generations (alternating the names Thomas and Walter) appear in the service of many parliaments and royal courts.
The next major development in the castle's appearance came in the mid-sixteenth century, the zenith of the Strickland family's wealth. Advantageous marriages in terms of inherited estates and influential family connections gave the Strickland's the wherewithal to embark on tripling the size of the castle and decorating the interiors with the finest carved decoration in the North of England from the late 1550's to the mid-1580's. The panelled Dining Room, Queen's Room, Old Dining Room, Linenfold Room, Boynton Room and the crowning glory of the Inlaid Chamber all display richly toned and varied styles of Elizabethan panelling, also decorative ceilings of the period in wood and plasterwork. The Inlaid Chamber's work is so splendid that during hard times, it was sold to the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, together with the State Bed in 1891. During the last quarter of the twentieth century, the panelling came back piece-meal on loan and was finally fully restored here in 1999 on long loan.
During the seventeenth century however, the magnificent castle was abandoned by the family for long periods as they followed the deposed King James II into exile in France. As Catholics, they had skillfully managed to retain their position and wealth through the religious swings and roundabouts of the Tudor years, but their Royalist sympathies during the Civil War and support of the new King and his Catholic wife (whose portraits are on display in the Dining Room) led to their shared exile. By very astute management of the estate, they retained their possessions in England and in 1699, Walter the heir returned. He modernised Sizergh according to the newer fashions, adding a central Baroque staircase.
Further changes were made in the mid-eighteenth century by Thomas Peter Strickland and his wife Mary; several Neo-classical interiors, including the Drawing Room, which had been the Elizabethan Great Hall, Venetian windows and Georgian sash windows. The previous century's staircase was removed and a new double flight of steps added. The last major work to the house was carried out in 1897-1902. Many modernisations were added and the old open entranceway enclosed, with an internal staircase. The gardens were also laid out much as they are today. In 1948, Henry Hornyold-Strickland had a wooden gallery built around the upper part of the Banqueting Hall, re-using original 16th century timbers from a demolished barn. It is here that the visitor sees just how old the fabric of the building is, with the original three-light fourteenth century window looking down into the courtyard and spiral stairs leading off the room. The furniture too adds to the atmosphere, with huge Elizabethan tables and a panel-back armchair dated 1571.
Sizergh Castle has many interesting and beautiful features, with the view back towards the building from the far side of the ornamental pond particularly striking. Unfortunately (for the visitor) the two side wings are not open to the public, so one can only imagine the Elizabethan Long Gallery and sixteenth century kitchens. The donor's widow still lives at Sizergh.