Carlisle

Carlisle is located on the border between England and Scotland and for that reason has been a military stronghold since the Roman's ruled England. It is a fort along Hadrian's wall, the wall built by the Roman Emperor Hadrian to prevent raids from the Scottish tribes to the north. Hadrian's Wall was the most fortified border in the Roman empire, and many Roman artifacts have been found from that time. Legend also holds that King Arthur and his magician Merlin visited Carlisle.

Visitors to Carlisle can visit Carlisle castle, the Carlisle Cathedral or can walk along the semi-intact city walls. Bicycling tours are also given for those who want to cycle along Hadrian's Wall.

You'll definately want to take time to see the the award winning Tullie House Museum, which tells the story of the border country and has artifacts from the Roman occupation along Hadrian's Wall. It also has extensive information about the Border Reivers, which were raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th centuary to the end of the 16th centuary. Reivers collected money called "black rent" or "blackmail" from peaceful peoples to spare them from attack. This is where the term "blackmail" entered in the English language. The Reivers were considered the best light calvalry in all of Europe, and many served as mercenaries. The museum also has an art gallery with many hands-on exhibits.

Carlisle Castle, built in 1092 by William Rufus once served as a prison for Mary, Queen of Scots. Because the castle was considered a military stronghold for so long, it has remained relatively intact. You can visit the dungeons and see carvings made by prisoners and see the famous Licking Stones where desperately thirsty prisoners would lick the moisture from the stones in order to stay alive.

You'll also want to visit the 900 year old Carlisle Cathedral which has medieval stained glass, paintings and carvings. You'll want to look at the East Window which has stained glass from the 14th centuary, and the 16th centuary Flemish altarpiece in St. Wilfrid's Chapel. In fact, the cathedral has artifacts from many different centuaries. The stained glass dates from the 14th centuary to the late 20th centuary. You'll also want to see the interesting 14th centuary barrel vaulted ceiling and the medieval pintings which depict the life of St. Augustine, the Legends of St. Cuthbert and St. Anthony and the 13 apostles. It is also interesting to note the carved capitals of the columns which represent activities associated with months of the year. There are Sunday worship services starting at 7:40 in the morning and weekday Evensong sung every day at 5:30 PM.

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See a Map of Carlisle