Brougham, for some inexplicable reason pronounced 'Broom', today is little more than an area of scattered homes..the original ancient village having been demolished by Lord Brougham to make way for Brougham Hall.
The fort is on private land and to date has not been fully excavated. At one time it accommodated up to a thousand infantry and cavalry. Now only the foundations can be seen , as the stone was 'quarried' to build the Norman castle on the banks of the River Eamont.
The ruins of Brougham Castle are located in the north-west corner of the Roman fort, they are in an irregular moated enceinte, and form a small court, with a late Norman keep James I and Charles I are said to have spent three days here in 1617. Later it was the 16th century home of Lady Anne Clifford, daughter of the Earl of Cumberland.
Annually on the 2nd April, visitors will see the local vicar with his parishioners standing beside the "Countess's Pillar" on the A66 taking part in the dole ceremony. This was inaugurated by Lady Anne to distribute £4 annually to the poor of the parish in memory of her last parting from her mother before re-joining her husband, the Earl of Pembroke, in London.
Close too is Brougham Hall...or what is left of it. In spite of the fact that the hall was at one time the home of the fourth Lord Brougham (the fellow whotwice broke the bank at Monte Carlo) it still ended up in ruins. Fortunately, a charitable trust has begun an ambitious restoration of the Hall. The Hall reached its zenith in Victorian times when it became known as the 'Windsor of the North' and home to the Lord Chancellor of England. At the turn of the century it played host to King Edward VII on a number of his private visits.
Across the road from the Hall, and connected to it by a narrow stone bridge, is achurchyard and delightful sandstone chapel - St Wilfred's. Its most famous possession ....a magnificent Flemish triptych..is on virtual permanent loan to Carlisle Cathedral. Mason's marks suggest that the chapel was built substantially on the site of an earlier chapel by the 14th century castle builders. In 1840 more restoration was done...the interesting profusion of woodwork now to be seen was brought from France by Lord William Brougham, and cut to fit by local workmen.
Further east, in a secluded spot stands the old church of St Ninian which has barely changed since being rebuilt by Lady Anne. Though now redundant, its doors are still open to visitors. Beautiful in its simplicity...stone flagged floors, white-washed walls and old pew boxes.
Not so long ago early 19th century skeletons of early day warriors were found here, including, it is believed, the Crusader Udard de Brougham alongside which was his sword.
At Eamont Bridge nearby there are two pre-historic earthworks dating from the late neolithic times.....known as Mayburgh, and King Arthur's Table.
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