Anti-Bacterial wipes for the Medieval Castle?

The dungeons at Carlisle Castle - can you imagine being crammed in here with 89 other people?

As part of preparations for opening the Museum staff volunteered to go round the Castle to check out preparations for opening tomorrow.  Not everywhere on the site can be open (medieval castles are not known for social distancing) but one area that could prove interesting will be the dungeons in the Keep. These rooms are all the more fascinating as they are home to the infamous 'licking stones.'

I was once asked by a friend to help with her infant class on a visit to the Castle. Obviously, they got all the spiel spiced with kiddie-friendly humour and when we entered to dungeons, I built up the tension and relayed the Jacobite 'licking stone' story. 'Errr' many of the kids commented when I shared the licking stone story 'that's horrible!' which why it was more surprising when one of the wee kids said to me 'Miss, miss. I've just licked the stones!' Joy, oh joy. Not sure that was on any risk assessment.

Now I am not actively encouraging visitors to try this activity on a tour round the Castle, especially during the pandemic. Perhaps there needs to be regular wipe of the stones with anti-bac wipes, just incase people feel the need to lick. But the licking stones have a sad story attached to them. After the defeat of the Jacobites in 1746, prisoners were imprisoned at the Castle. Some of these men were kept in the basement (dungeon) of the Keep, crammed into the dark, damp room with no water. Imagine how warm the room started to get and with the warm summer, the walls started to get damp, with water collecting in the dips in the stone. In desperation, the prisoners were forced to lick the walls to stay alive, hence licking stones.

Obviously, there will be no cramming of visitors into the small space, especially in the current climate. But tomorrow, after three and a half months of being closed, the site will welcome visitors back to both the Castle and Museum again. And we look forward to sharing our history with them.



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