Sizergh Castle and Garden facts for kids

Sizergh Castle, a very old tower and a Tudor house

Sizergh Castle and Garden is a beautiful old house and garden in Helsington, Cumbria, England. It's about 4 km south of Kendal. The castle is looked after by the National Trust, along with its gardens and land. It's still the home of the Hornyold-Strickland family.

In 2016, the Sizergh estate became part of the bigger Lake District National Park.

What's Inside Sizergh Castle?

The tower at Sizergh Castle, seen from the South

The oldest part of the castle is a tower built in the 1300s or 1400s.

Amazing Woodwork

Inside, you'll find rooms with beautiful oak wood panels. One special room is called the Inlaid Chamber. Its panels have cool patterns made from light poplar wood and dark bog-oak.

The panels from the Inlaid Chamber were sold to the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London back in the 1890s. They were even put on display there! But in 1999, these panels came back to Sizergh on a long loan. In 2017, the National Trust officially became their owner.

Some decorative wooden boards on the outside of the castle, called bargeboards, are probably from the 1600s.

Family Paintings

The castle has many paintings, including:

• Royal Family Portraits: There are paintings of the Catholic Royal Stuart family. These show the Strickland family's connection to the Jacobite court, who were in exile in France. You can see portraits by Alexis Simon Belle, a painter for King James II of England and his son, the "Old Pretender." These include paintings of Queen Mary of Modena and her daughter Princess Louisa Maria.
• Strickland Family Portraits: You'll also find paintings of the Strickland family themselves. Some were done by a local artist named George Romney (painter). There's also a portrait of Mrs Anne Strickland by her daughter, Harriet Strickland.

Portrait Gallery

• 

  Mary Matthews (1823-1890), Mrs Julien-Francois-Bertrand de La Chère.

• 

  Marie Louise Geneviève Alice de La Chère (1856-1943), wife of Alfred Joseph Gandolfi-Hornyold (1850-1922).

• 

  Lord Thomas Strickland Standish (1763-1813).

• 

  Henriette Rose Peronne de Sercey (1770-1849) by François Gérard.

• 

  Thomas Strickland Standish of Sizergh (1792-1835).

• 

  Ursule Ida de Finguerlin de Bischingen (1805-1846), Mrs Thomas Strickland Standish of Sizergh.

History of Sizergh Castle

The Deincourt family first owned this land in the 1170s. In 1239, Elizabeth Deincourt married Sir William de Stirkeland. This is how the estate came into the hands of the Strickland family. They owned it until 1950, when it was given to the National Trust.

Catherine Parr, who was the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, is thought to have lived here after her first husband died in 1533. She was related to the Stricklands.

The castle was made bigger during the Elizabethan era (when Queen Elizabeth I was queen). Sir Thomas Strickland (cavalier) had to leave England with King James II.

Around 1770, the main hall was expanded again in the Georgian era style.

Sizergh in Books and TV

Sizergh Castle was shown in the ITV documentary called Inside the National Trust.

A poem by Letitia Elizabeth Landon, published in 1835, is about a room in the castle. It's called The Queen’s Room, Sizergh Hall, Westmorland. This room is now restored and known as the Inlaid Chamber.

The Beautiful Garden

Sizergh Castle and part of the garden

The garden at Sizergh has a lake, a kitchen garden, and a special rock garden that has won awards. This rock garden was built in the 1920s and is the biggest limestone rock garden owned by the National Trust.

Sizergh is also home to part of the National Collection of ferns. You can see these ferns in the rock garden, a special area called the stumpery, and the orchard.

The Sizergh Estate

In 1336, King Edward III of England allowed Sir Walter Strickland to make the land around Sizergh his own private park.

The whole estate covers about 647 hectares (which is about 1600 acres).

Wildlife and Nature

The estate has many different types of natural areas. For example, in 2014, workers created 35 hectares of wetland habitat in the Lyth Valley, which is on the edge of the estate. This project helps attract birds like the Eurasian bittern and other wildlife.

Sizergh has also received help from the Morecambe Bay Nature Improvement Area. This project started in 2012 and helps improve nature in the area.

Birds to Spot

The Sizergh estate is a great place to see birds! For example, hawfinches like to visit because of the hornbeam trees. Sometimes, these birds even come close to the main car park.

Butterflies

You can also find Fritillary butterflies living on the estate.

See also

In Spanish: Castillo de Sizergh para niños