The Lookout

The Tullie House Lookout rotunda was officially re-opened on the 14th April by Tullie House’s newly appointed Shadow Chair Roger Cooke, having been closed for most of the winter. The viewing platform, which offers spectacular views of Carlisle Castle and the city skyline, was closed to the public due to adverse weather. However, the period of closure has been used to good effect, as improvements have been made to bring Roman Carlisle to life for visitors.

The Lookout now features a detailed and accurate artist’s impression of the site of the first Roman fort in Carlisle, which stood just in front of where the castle is now. Dating from around AD 72 or 73 (some 50 years before the building of Hadrian’s Wall), the fort would have been the size of a small village, and featured barracks, two granaries, roads, stables and headquarters, all surrounded by a defensive wall. None of this would have still been standing by the time the castle was built, over 500 years later.