A pioneering woman of great determination and energy, Lady Anne Clifford played a major part in shaping Appleby in the 17th century. The daughter of the Earl of Cumberland, she inherited her father’s estates and began a programme of restoration, which included a series of castles from Skipton, in Yorkshire, to Brougham, near Penrith in Cumbria. It was Appleby Castle, which became her favourite home. As well as restoring the castle she gave generously to the refurbishment of the town’s churches and her memorial stands beside that of her mother in St Lawrence's Church in Boroughgate. The Countess Pillar located on the A66 near Brougham Castle commemorates Lady Anne’s last parting with her mother.
The Lady Anne Westmorland Heritage Trail booklet is a useful guide, which takes visitors down the valley to all the Lady Anne sites of interest. The booklet is available from local Tourist Information Centres.
St Anne’s Hospital Almshouses
Also in Boroughgate is St Anne’s Hospital, a group of almshouses provided for the accommodation of thirteen widows. The houses are still occupied today and the Chapel in the courtyard may be visited.
St Lawrence's Church
The parish church of Appleby was founded shortly after the castle. Although it was badly damaged by the Scots in 1388, the church was rebuilt and later restored by Lady Anne Clifford in the mid 17th century.
