The red one

Some events are going on in Appleby over the Heritage Open Days weekend and this morning we went to a talk given by the President of the Cumbria Vernacular Buildings Group. This was on the buildings on Boroughgate, Appleby and I was delighted to find that this lady, June Hill, was the co-author of a booklet on the same topic that I bought some time ago and use a lot in my explorations. It was an interesting talk and some fascinating discussion with some of the audience who actually live on Boroughgate.

On our way back to the car I took this photo of The Red House, one of the most imposing buildings on Boroughgate. It was built in 1717 by the Carleton family for Thomas Carleton who was agent for Lord Thanet of Appleby Castle. It was also used as the judges’ lodging when the Assize Court was held at the Castle.

It is built of red sandstone and has a Westmorland slate roof. There is a fine flight of stairs to the front door, but also steps leading down to the basement, the servants’ entrance - a real Upstairs/Downstairs.

It was at one time divided into several apartments but is now empty and rapidly running into disrepair. No one seems to know who owns it or what will happen to it in the future.