Lowther
William Wordsworth
Lowther! in thy majestic pile are seen
Cathedral pomp and grace, in apt accord
With the baronial castle's sterner mien:
Union significant of God adored,
And charters won and guarded by the sword
Of ancient honour; whence that goodly state
Of polity which wise men venerate,
And will maintain, if God his help afford.
Hourly the democratic torrent swells;
For airy promises and hopes suborned
The strength of backward-looking thoughts is scorned.
Fall if ye must, ye towers and pinnacles,
With what ye symbolise; authentic story
Will say ye disappear with England's glory!
Lowther Castle was the seat of the Earls of Lonsdale. There has been a manor house on the site since at least the time of Edward I in the 13th century. The present building was begun in 1806. Although the "towers and pinnacles" still stand, the vast house was abandoned in the 20th century and has fallen into disrepair. The walls and towers now stand around an empty shell.
