The other listed buildings include churches, a public house, and a bridge. The parish includes the hamlets of Hawkshead Hill, 1.2 miles (1.9 km) to the north west, and Outgate, a similar distance north. The house has an association with another key player in the National Trust, Beatrix Potter, who spent a summer holiday there when she was 16 in 1882. The centre organises a number of activities, including orienteering, kayaking and open water swimming, as well as regular exhibitions. The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System or GMDSS was introduced in 1988 and all ships had to be fitted by 1999, thus bringing to an end the position of radio officer. This village dates back to at least 1227 when the village was named Wra. In the 2001 census the parish had a population of 392, reducing to 298 at the 2011 census. Claife is a civil parish in the South Lakeland district of Cumbria, England. Grey stone turrets with arrow slits and mullioned windows give way to an interior that features an oak-panelled library, the remains of stained glass still lodged in some upper windows. In 1995 the last 'Radio Officer' left and the college diversified into ROV and general telecoms training, finally leaving the Castle in 2004. Boats from the piers in Bowness sail around the lake, many calling at Ambleside or at Lakeside where there is a restored railway. Although their mutual growth has caused them to become one large settlement, the town is distinct from the town of Windermere as the two still have distinguishable town centres. We celebrate the history and contemporary creativity of the world’s oldest living culture and pay respect to Elders — past, present and future. Wray Castle is a limited company registered in England and Wales. In 1929 Wray Castle and 64 acres (260,000 m2) of land were given to the National Trust by Sir Noton and Lady Barclay. Wray Castle is an enormous mock-gothic house set in an estate made up of farmland and woodland on the north-western shore of Windermere. The house and grounds have belonged to the National Trust since 1929, but the house has only recently opened to the public on a regular basis. It includes the Brockhole house and 30 acres (12 ha) of grounds, including 10 acres (4.0 ha) of formal gardens and an adventure playground. In 2011 the National Trust proposed to lease the property, which had been denuded of its furnishings, for use as a hotel. Moss Eccles Tarn is a tarn on Claife Heights, near Near Sawrey in the Lake District, Cumbria. Marmaduke Wray 12 Dec 1869 Beverley, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom - 05 May 1951 . Research has been put on hold in order to update the Bridge Room in the Castle, but I did manage to get to Liverpool again as I was keen to see and get a feel for the area where James and Margaret Dawson lived, and where Margaret had been brought up. Since the National Trust acquired the castle it has been used for a variety of purposes, for short time from 1929 being a youth hostel [3] For twenty years from 1931 the castle housed the offices of the Freshwater Biological Association. Wray Castle Sue Premru has sent in these images of her recent visit to Wray Castle. Early Origins of the Wray family. The first of these – Wray Castle – has only been open to visitors since April 2012 and is continuing to evolve. The Castle is now in the hands of the National Trust, and I visited to check out their new exhibition entitled ‘The Women of Wray Castle: Convention & Control’. Fully narrated and escorted by driver guides who love their jobs almost as much as you will love your day with them.

Our Lake District tour will take you to places not normally visited by the casual tourist, showing you the true essence of why this part of the country is so spectacular..

Fun and laughter all the way, all day. Registered office: Bridge Mills, Stramongate, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 4UB, UK. A new building was erected for the school at a nearby site. The parish is in the Lake District National Park to the west of Windermere. The castle itself was built in the 1830s for surgeon James Dawson and his wife Margaret, and actually has a bit of a boozy history! Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic building at Claife in the English county of Cumbria. Bowness-on-Windermere is a town in South Lakeland, Cumbria, England. Wray Castle is a Victorian Gothic country house overlooking Lake Windermere. Hotels near Wray Castle: (1.07 km) Randy Pike (0.39 km) The Dower House (0.39 km) 4 Winds Lakeland Tipis (1.11 km) High Wray Farm (0.84 km) Low Wray National Trust Campsite; View all hotels near Wray Castle on Tripadvisor Maps; Wray in 1659. Hardwicke Rawnsley, one of the founders of the National Trust, came to visit his cousin Edward who had inherited Wray Castle from the Dawsons. To protect the countryside from damaging development, Hardwicke Rawnsley, building on an idea propounded by John Ruskin, conceived of a National Trust that could buy and preserve places of natural beauty and historic interest for the nation. If you book with Tripadvisor, you can cancel up to 24 hours before your tour starts for a full refund. The Brockhole Lake District Visitor Centre, also known as the Brockhole National Park Visitor Centre, is a visitor centre and tourist attraction managed by the Lake District National Park Authority. High visitor numbers meant that the property, which in its empty state was particularly child-friendly, had clear potential to be developed as a visitor attraction. 1918 sold to Marine Navigation Co. of Canada Ltd., registered Liverpool and renamed 'Garthwray'. Historically in Westmorland, it is situated at the head of Windermere, England's largest natural lake. It is currently owned by the National Trust and known as an attractive tarn for fishing and walking. Visitors can spend an entire day at Wray and it won’t be the traditional National Trust house you may be expecting. Wray Castle: Interesting history. The town is within the Lake District National Park. Wray Castle Grounds. As you’ll see from the photo at the top of this entry, Wray Castle is something of an oddity, an imposing Gothic-style castle that was actually built in the 1840s as a retirement property! A ship, the Wray Castle, was named after the site. - See 1,930 traveller reviews, 888 candid photos, and great deals for Ambleside, UK, at Tripadvisor. The house and grounds have belonged to the National Trust since 1929, but the house has only recently opened to the public on a regular basis. She bought a small farm in the Claife area, Hill Top, in 1905 with royalties from her first book The Tale of Peter Rabbit. From the Ice Age to the Iron Age, medieval monks to Victorian visionaries, this walk combines tranquil beauty, great views and fascinating stories from … History: Completed in April 1938 : Notes on event: At 22.23 hours on 3 May 1941 the unescorted Wray Castle (Master Gerald T. Dobson) was hit by two torpedoes from U-103 and sank within a few minutes about 110 miles south-southwest of Freetown. RMS Wray Castle was a training college for Merchant Navy radio officers based at Wray Castle in the Lake District, from 1958 to 1998. Our history of delivering telecoms training dates back to 1958 when we occupied Wray Castle on the shores of Lake Windermere. One crew member was lost. Sightseeing Tours the way they should be. To protect the countryside from damaging development, Hardwicke Rawnsley, building on an idea propounded by John Ruskin, conceived of a Nati… It brings together the research work undertaken by the staff at Wray Castle and is actually quite eye-opening and challenges the rumours and preconceptions surrounding two women with links to Wray Castle. An impressive building seeped in history comanding fantastic views this National Trust property is also the start of a wonderful walk by the sided of Lake Windamere. II, p. 148, 1853. For divers hoping to dive a Victorian site at Wray Castle, on Windermere. Charles Clifford Wray 24 Nov 1872 Beverley, Yorkshire, England, United Kingdom - 18 Jul 1951 . There’s dressing up, castle building, as well as an outdoor adventure play area with den … The surname Wray was first found in Lancashire where Wray is a small village, part of the civil parish of Wray-with-Botton and in 2001 had a population of 521. Wray Castle 2017 research project article. Windermere and Troutbeck is a National Trust property consisting of land around Windermere, a lake in Cumbria, England. Standing high on the edge of Lake Windermere, Wray Castle at first glance appears every inch the monumental medieval pile. It is one of the longest routes as well as one of the most scenic bus routes in England. She went on to buy considerable tracts of land nearby, though she never owned the castle itself. It was one of five large vessels built at the Williamson shipyard at Workington for the Lancaster Shipowners Company, the others were Greystoke Castle, Lancaster Castle, Lowther Castle and Pendragon Castle. It serves the village of Lakeside in Cumbria, as well as the tourist attractions located there. In 1995 the last 'Radio Officer' left and the college diversified into ROV and general telecoms training, finally leaving the Castle in 2004. https://historiceuropeancastles.com/castles-in-lake-district In 2014 the Trust applied for retrospective planning permission to change the use of the listed building to visitor attraction.[7]. Armitt Museum is an independent museum and library, founded in Ambleside in Cumbria by Mary Louisa Armitt in 1909. Due to its position on the banks of Windermere, the town has become a tourist honeypot. The route is operated by Stagecoach Cumbria & North Lancashire and was previously operated by Ribble Motor Services. [1] The grounds, which include part of the shoreline of Windermere, are open all year round and are renowned for their selection of specimen trees – Wellingtonia, redwood, Ginkgo biloba, weeping lime and varieties of beech. [2]. Wray Castle, a National Trust property, is a fascinating building with hints of its 'grand' past and plenty of signs of its varied history, great fun for children and perfect for a wet day in the Lakes. Hawkshead is a village and civil parish in Cumbria, England, which attracts tourists to the South Lakeland area. [4], From 1958 to 1998 it became a training college for Merchant Navy radio officers (RMS Wray Castle), with up to 150 cadets living in the castle while studying the procedures and regulations regarding the use of radio for the ″Safety of Life at Sea″. Wray Castle: Modern castle - See 1,930 traveller reviews, 888 candid photos, and great deals for Ambleside, UK, at Tripadvisor. This village dates back to at least 1227 when the village was named Wra. Stagecoach bus route 555 links Lancaster in Lancashire with towns and villages in the Lake District in North West England. Hardwicke loved the place and became vicar in Wray church. Wray Castle: Interesting history. [7]. English settlers from Yorkshire in 16 cent; a locative name, it may stand, in some cases, for Rea, q.v. Wray Castle Visitor Information. [6] The route is wholly within the Lake District National Park and takes in the summits of Wansfell, Loughrigg Fell and Gummer's How as well as passing through the towns of Ambleside and Windermere. Wray Castle: its gothic features include fake, For information on opening times and dates, Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, Grade II* listed buildings in South Lakeland, "The Freshwater Biological Association at Wray Castle: Recollections of its first director", "Last peek at Wray Castle before it's a hotel", "Historic Lake District home aims to be official attraction", Gwynedd Maritime Database – Fleet of R.Thomas & Co of Criccieth and Liverpool, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wray_Castle&oldid=938044817, Infobox mapframe without OSM relation ID on Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 28 January 2020, at 20:12. Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic building at Claife in the English county of Cumbria. It is situated on the shore of Lake Windermere, roughly equidistant between the towns of Bowness-on-Windermere and Ambleside. I went to Wray Castle from Sept 1972 to Feb 1975 straight from a few O-level successes - completing the MRGC and DTI Radar ticket. [1] The grounds, which include part of the shoreline of Windermere, are open all year round and are renowned for their selection of specimen trees – … Wray: numerous: Derry-Tyrone and Ulster generally. She went on to buy considerable tracts of land nearby, though she never owned the castle itself. His wife was considerably wealthy and he used her fortune to build the castle along with the neighboring Wray church. Wray Castle is a Victorian neo-gothic building at Claife in the English county of Cumbria. Early Origins of the Wray family. History. Generally a harsh environment but reasonably fair and I doubt if there was any other way I would have obtained my sea-going tickets except for enforced incaceration, with no money and lots of study! It contains the villages and settlements of Far Sawrey, Near Sawrey, Colthouse, Loanthwaite, High Wray and Low Wray, and the surrounding countryside. They are located in the Lake District between the village of Hawkshead and the lake of Windermere. He had a particular interest in freshwater invertebrates. So with all that in mind, ladies and gentlemen, we give you Wray Castle. Historic Publications References John Bernard (J.B.) Burke, published under the title of A Visitation of the Seats and Arms of the Noblemen and Gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland , among other titles: Vol. Our history of delivering telecoms training dates back to 1958 when we occupied Wray Castle on the shores of Lake Windermere. With its battlements, turrets, and arrow-slit windows, the neo-gothic Wray Castle is straight from a storybook. The house was built in 1840 for a retired Liverpudlian surgeon, James Dawson, who built it along with the neighbouring Wray Church using his wife's fortune. 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