Tuesday 17th May
Our last day of the trip, but before heading home, we visited Lowther Castle and Shap Abbey.
Lowther Castle and Gardens
Lowther Castle consists of the impressive ruins of a large stately home and its surrounding gardens which are being gradually restored.
The buildings had been de-roofed after all the contents were sold off in a huge auction, in 1947.
Some parts of the original building have been re-roofed and there is evidence of a very opulent lifestyle:
The grounds and gardens are a “work in progress”:
There is a garden feature known as Shap Abbey steps. It is clear that these have been recycled from the buildings there.
Shap Abbey:
Not easy to get to, especially in a motorhome, Shap Abbey was ruined on the orders of King Henry the eight, in the English reformation. They had only just finished building the tower after occupying the idillic site for centuries.
The abbey is now in the care of English Heritage, but clearly before that, it was the Ministry of Works.
"See-u-Later" 