The Moat

The town is dominated by a large Anglo-Norman motte or earthen mound. This was probably raised in the 13th century as a look out over the natural haven and approaches.

The mound itself has a maximum height of 32 feet, though its position on a natural escarpment makes it more prominent. The total is around 140 feet. It was once surrounded by a dry ditch but this was unsympathetically filled in by hardcore in the 1950s or 1960s. The summit measures 80 feet by 40 feet and was once described as having a hollow on top presumably as a shield for the watchers. Levelling was probably carried out prior to the erection of powder magazine c.1821. From Moat Street a path leads to a stout stone bridge across ditch, and then spirals to the summit. On clear days there are spectacular views to harbour, the Copeland Islands, Scotland, the Isle of Man, and beyond. The Moat was presented to the town by George Delacherois in 1945.

The mock castle on the summit was built c.1821, of rendered brick and rubble masonry, to serve as a powder magazine during the blasting operations when the harbour was made deeper It in the 1820's. Styled as a picturesque castle it is massed with effective simplicity; a cube, surmounted by a cylinder, is connected on one side to a lower cube, and shielded by a part curtain-wall on the other. This foundation is embellelished with corner towers, turrets, battlements, and a flagstaff, all combining to create exciting silhouettes in distant views.

The photograph above is from the less familiar rear of the Moat as seen from the wide entry near the top of East Street. It is taken on a clear December morning just after an overnight fall of snow.