Hidden castle reveals swords, spooks and screen stars

Cockermouth Castle is visible from a footpath along the River Derwent - but not all of it

There is a castle right in the middle of a town popular with visitors and day trippers, yet if you blink you may miss it.

Cockermouth Castle, in Cumbria, is not open to the public and its tall gates and vegetation hide it well, but follow a path only accessibly by foot and it will majestically reveal itself across the River Derwent.

Dating to the 12th century, its ruined outer walls make it hard to believe someone actually lives here.

But John Max Henry Scawen Wyndham - or Lord Egremont - and his wife Caroline, tell us they spend increasingly more time in their hidden gem on the edge of the Lake District.

Recalling the first time she visited the castle, Lady Egremont says: "It was a rather magical experience coming through the 12th century gatehouse and finding yourself in this courtyard with this quite modest house in the middle of a ruin.

"I thought it was the most charming and romantic place, because you look down from above to the River Derwent which is flowing below.

"It has these beautiful views."

A house was built within the walls in the early 1800s

The house Lady Egremont refers to was built in the early 1800s, but it was Lord Egremont's mother, Pamela, who made it a cosy residence after the death of her husband John in 1972, when she increasingly split her time between Cumbria and London.

"She made it so much nicer," says Lord Egremont.

"It was a rather dingy place before then, but she made it partly her home."

Crosby steals a catch

The castle is home to many artefacts and its archives include old maps and documents dating as far back as the 1300s.

As simple a task as having a clear-out can reveal some long-forgotten items with a significant history.

Lady Egremont recalls one such instance, after the death of her mother-in-law in 2013, when she was clearing a "cellar-type room".

"Underneath a pile of horsehair matrasses, that must have been there for 100 years, I found a long wooden box - it clearly hadn't been opened for a long long time, with rusty locks.

"I prised it open and inside there was a sword which General Wyndham, who fought at the battle of Waterloo, had captured from a French soldier."

An image of Bing Crosby during a trip to Cumbria, captured by local photographer Ivor Nicholas

Among the artwork around the property hangs a picture that somewhat stands out from the rest - a photograph of screen legend Bing Crosby.

The American singer and actor is portrayed wearing waders and holding a fishing rod and a large salmon.

Lord Egremont says: "He came up here, that was in my father's days. He wrote a little song, I remember, when he was on the riverbanks on the Derwent."

The song, he added, was about the fish not biting and the struggle to catch one.

Nosey ghost

The presence of the past is not just felt through old actors and ancient history, according to the couple who split their time between Cockermouth and Sussex.

Lord Egremont says: "Well, there is a story of a ghost and I'm sure I've heard this ghost.

"It's not frightening, I've never been alarmed by it.

"You hear it sometimes in the passage at night. It's got a quite heavy footfall and it sometimes turns the handles of doors to see if anybody's in the room."

Lord and Lady Egremont believe a ghost walks the corridors of the castle

Lady Egremont says she has also witnessed this, and so had her mother-in-law.

"We really think of it as a kindly presence," adds Lord Egremont.

Cockermouth Castle cannot be opened to the public because of health and safety concerns

Once a year, during the Cockermouth Live music festival held at venues around the town, a stage is hosted in the courtyard of the castle, giving visitors a rare glimpse.

But due to health and safety concerns, the building cannot be opened to the public.

"The ruins are too precarious for people to walk on," says Lord Egremont.

"I quite often very nearly slip on the wet steps myself.

"I'm of a certain age so I have to be quite careful and there is also the question of getting in and out of the ruins.

"It's not a very big doorway and every now and again there is an embarrassment when a person of a certain size gets stuck."

'Raging torrent'

One real threat to the castle is represented by the River Derwent, which it overlooks from atop a small mound.

After Storm Desmond in 2015, when Cockermouth itself went underwater during devastating floods, the castle was "very nearly lost", says Lord Egremont.

"The Derwent was like a raging torrent and it rose up right to the foundations and to the banks where the walls rest."

Storm Desmond threatened the older part of the castle

Lorries carried stone sent from a quarry in Barnard Castle to provide the material for the emergency repairs to prop up the structure.

Lord Egremont adds: "We felt absolutely horrified because, to lose it, it would be a great tragedy for my family and the community, because it's such a landmark."