Carlisle’s Crusading Constructions
Why this Cumbrian City’s Cathedral and Castle are worth visiting
You can practically hear the bagpipes in Carlisle. In fact, this northern England city is barely eight miles from the border with Scotland.
For many years, I’ve zipped past the city, via the M6 motorway that skirts its eastern periphery, on my way to Bonnie Scotland.
Today, I put that right. I stopped off. And, boy, am I glad I did.
My first port of call was the city’s cathedral, the building that, effectively, gave the place city status.
Originally built as an Augustinian priory in 1122, it became a cathedral eleven years later, and is only one of four cathedrals in the UK whose roots can be traced back to an Augustinian church (all the others were Benedictine establishments).
Stepping in through its south door can, at first, seem a little underwhelming. To the left is the Memorial Chapel to the Border Regiment, with a poignant book listing all those who died in service, and on the right is the obligatory gift shop. But its jewels are just a few steps away.
