Tale of Two Castles

Rose Castle, the historic home of the bishops of Carlisle, has come on the open market for what The Times calls ‘the price of a bolt hole in Chelsea’. It is sad that the Church Commissioners are prepared to part with this wonderful piece of history that has been an episcopal residence since the 1230s. Amongst other treasures, it has a 17th Century chapel and handpainted Chinese wallpaper. A four-bedroom farmhouse and a cottage are included in the sale. The commissioners are looking for £2.95 million after rejecting an offer by an anonymous donor to buy it as a centre for reconciliation. They first tried to sell the castle in 2011 but pulled back after a public outcry and gave two voluntary groups time to try to raise money to buy the castle. The new attempt to sell the castle is causing anger in Cumbria. Meanwhile over in the NE Auckland Castle goes from strength to strength as a tourist attraction. It is to be the venue for the largest open-air performance staged in this country since the London 2012 Olympics. From June 2016, it will host the ‘Eleven Arches Project’ in which 1,000 volunteers will enact scenes from 2,000 years of Britain’s history with an emphasis on the North East. The project is modelled on the ‘Pay du Fou theme park’ in France that mounts historical shows involving Viking raids and Roman gladiators. Auckland Castle and its famous paintings were saved by evangelical Christian businessman, Jonathan Ruffer. It has recently received a £9 million grant from English Heritage to help its development as a tourist centre. Can someone please save Rose Castle?