Rose Castle, Medieval country house in Dalston, England
Rose Castle is a medieval country house in Dalston, Cumbria, built from red sandstone with four irregular ranges arranged around a central courtyard. The building rises over several floors and its layout reflects centuries of gradual additions and changes.
The property became the official residence of the bishops of Carlisle from 1230, after royal permission was granted to fortify it. Over the following centuries it was damaged, rebuilt, and altered several times before its role as a church residence came to an end in the early 2000s.
The chapel inside dates from the late 1400s and reflects how central faith was to the bishops who lived here for centuries. From the outside, visitors can notice the religious architectural details carved into the red sandstone walls.
The property sits a few miles southwest of Carlisle and can be seen from nearby roads without entering the grounds. It is not open to the public, so a visit means viewing it from the outside only.
In 2016 the building was converted into an international center for peace work, a rare new role for a Grade I listed country house. This means the rooms that once housed bishops now host mediators and dialogue facilitators from around the world.
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