This ancient fortress has been the home of the Strickland family for more than 750 years. It began as a 60ft, four storey tower built as a shelter against Scottish raiders, and has additions of the 15th, 16th and 18th-centuries. The Sizergh lands were originally the property of King Henry II, who gave them to the Deincourt family in the 12th-century, they passed to the Strickland's through marriage early in the 13th-century.
Sizergh stretches the imagination, it is an intoxicating place with bewitching tales of ghostly happenings - a medieval lady is said to haunt the castle, her husband locked her in one of the rooms, leaving her to die of starvation.
The castle's great hall was built in 1450, and the Tudor mansion we see today is mostly of the Elizabethan era. The building has been altered and developed to meet changing architectural fashions according to the wish of various successors. However, the core of the house remains largely unaltered, showing magnificent wood carving and chimney pieces said to be some of the finest in the land.
In 1770 the great hall was considerably extended, and part of it now forms the present entrance hall. There are ornate ceilings, Stuart and Jacobean relics, stunning Oak furniture, fine tapestries and paintings. Along with the treasures of yester-year are recent photographs of family members, a delightful touch illustrating the exceptional long history of house and family.
From the gardens there are wonderful views across beautiful countryside to Morecambe Bay. The gardens, with two lakes and a superb 20th-century rock garden, wild flower garden, water garden and rose garden shows vivid year round colour, and forms a spectacular setting for this richly ornate historic home.
The castle is open each afternoon from Sunday to Thursday every week from April to October.
For the convenience of visitors there is a tea-room and a gift shop.
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