Garstang Castle

Overlooking the Lancashire market town of Garstang and Bleasdale Fells, stands the ruins of Greenhalgh Castle.

This castle was built in 1490 by Thomas Stanley, the first Earl of Derby. Greenhalgh Castle is nestled on a hill between the River Wyre and the River Ribble estuaries.

It is the site of the last Royalist stronghold in Lanacashire from the time of the War of the Roses. The castle was built as a garrison to protect the land Stanley received from King Henry VII in recognition of his services during the Battle of Bosworth.

On 2 August 1490, Stanley received a licence from Henry VII to construct the castle. The licence gave Stanley permission to “[Wall] with stone, lime and other material his manor called Greenhall in the parish of Garstang, and embattle, turrellate, machiolate or otherwise fortify them, and to hold forever.” The licence misnames the castle as Greenhall instead of Greenhalgh, which could have been a spelling mistake as the result of phonetically spelling the castle’s name. One pronunciation of Greenhalgh in Lancashire is Greenhall or Greenall. On a map of the area from 1610, the castle is spelt Greenalgh, which is closer to the modern spelling of the word.

During the English Civil War between King Charles I and Parliament, the castle was seiged by Cromwell’s army. The castle was under siege for nearly two years. It, in addition to another of Stanley’s properties, Lathom House, was the last two properties in Lancashire to fall to parliamentary control.

In May 1645, Greenhalgh Castle was surrendered on the condition that all staff was able to return home unharmed. After the surrender, the castle was dismantled and demolished and rendered incapable of further military use.

Stonework from the castle was used to build the Greenhalgh Castle farmhouse and other neighbouring farmhouses. All that remains today is the lower portion of one of the castle’s four towers.

Today, visitors can view the tower on a number of free and guided walks led by the Wyre Borough Council. The council offers two walks that visit the site of the castle. The first is the Greenhalgh Castle Walk. This walk follows the River Wyre across farm fields which can be muddy at times. It also passes a disused railway line. The walk involves the use of stiles and it could be completed in less than two hours.Nearby places of interest include Greenhalgh Castle and Farm and the Millennium Mosaic.

The second walk offered is the Garstang and Lancaster Canal Circular Walk. This is an easy-terrain 5.3 kilometre walk, although it can be muddy at times, as the path crosses farm land. The route commences and ends in Garstang, passing the Greenhalgh Castle ruins, and the Garstang Canal aqueduct near the River Wyre.

From time-to-time re-enactment events are held at the site of Greenhalgh Castle. One such event was held in 2002 by the British historical association, The Sealed Knot. The association performed a re-enactment of the siege, with 600 of the association’s members taking to the field. The association also performed a re-enactment of the battle with members of the group dividing into Royalist and Parliamentarian armies.