Wray Castle
Wray Castle: its gothic features include fake arrowslits | |
| Established | 2011 |
|---|---|
| Location | Claife, Westmorland and Furness, Cumbria |
| Coordinates | 54°24′02″N 2°57′51″W / 54.4006345°N 2.9641913°W |
| Owner | National Trust |
| Public transit access | See website |
| Website | www |
Listed Building – Grade II* | |
| Official name | R.M.S. Wray Castle |
| Designated | 25 March 1970 |
| Reference no. | 1106324 |
Listed Building – Grade II | |
| Listings | 5 including Retaining Walls and Boathouse |
Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic building at Claife in Cumbria within the boundaries of the historic county of Lancashire. The house and grounds have belonged to the National Trust since 1929. The Castle was open to the public for a dozen years prior to 2024. The Castle is now closed for refurbishment until 2027.
While the castle and its ancillary buildings are protected under the National Heritage List for England, the grounds are not registered as a historic park or garden. The estate lies within the Lake District National Park, itself a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which provides landscape‑level recognition. The grounds, which include part of the shoreline of Windermere, are open all year round and are renowned for their selection of specimen trees. The planting of conifers (including Wellingtonia) reflects the thinking of the Picturesque movement. There are also examples of Ginkgo biloba, weeping lime and varieties of beech.