Protecting The Keep At Lancaster Castle

Planning approval and listed building consent has been awarded to the Duchy by the local planning authority for essential repair and maintenance works to the Medieval Keep at Lancaster Castle.

The remedial works are designed to protect and preserve this national heritage asset, making the building wind and watertight. It includes essential roof repairs, repair or replacement of gutter and rainwater goods and channels, testing of the Castle’s mains drainage system, masonry repairs, including repointing and repainting, and any critical structural works identified during the initial investigations.

Working with specialist heritage architects at BDP, the Duchy team drew on the experience of earlier phases of construction and conservation at Lancaster Castle to prepare the applications. It also liaised closely with local planning and conservation officers, as well as Historic England, in preparing the necessary documentation prior to submission.

Commenting on the project, Head of Rural Development Lara Thompson said: “The medieval Keep is perhaps the most important of all the buildings at the Castle. Also known as the Lungess Tower, it is a four-storey tower thought to have been constructed circa 1150. It is 20 metres high with a shallow buttress at each corner and halfway along each side. Its outer walls are approximately 3 metres thick, and it is divided internally by a central wall into two rooms on each floor. The upper storey of the Keep was rebuilt in the reign of Elizabeth I in 1585.

“However, the building is not currently in use and has been left in a state of disrepair since the closure of the former prison in 2012. It is vital that we protect this important heritage asset to prevent deterioration of the fabric. By carrying out these essential works we believe we can preserve it for at least the next 100 years.”

Lancaster is one of 10 castles belonging to the Duchy of Lancaster and one of only two to be managed in hand. In 2016 a newly refurbished office suite was created from the former prison workshops to accommodate Duchy staff and facilitate the transfer of core functions from London to the region. Today, the majority of the Duchy’s rural estate management functions, together with development projects and communications, are run from Lancaster Castle.

Works are expected to begin on site in the Spring of 2023.