Tour Carlisle Cathedral and Great Corby Brewhouse

Written by Sam

Location: Carlisle
Venues: Carlisle Cathedral, Great Croby Brewhouse
Duration: Full day

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cumbria Tourism, the team at CT are trying out 50 tourism experiences we haven’t tried before. Follow along as we continue our journey across the Lake District, Cumbria throughout the year! On this experience day, Sam Marsh, Sarah Davies, Molly Hill and Rob Cowley visited Carlisle Cathedral and Great Corby Brewhouse to have a look around...

Being the only city in Cumbria, it’s easy to understand why there’s so much to see and do in and around Carlisle. It can be hard to know what to choose but for any visitor a must see has to be the impressive Cathedral.

With a history dating back over 900 years, the Cathedral sits at the heart of the city and is an impressive structure, built in the classic red stone that is endemic to the northern parts of Cumbria and it is here which is our first stop on our experience day in Carlisle.

Regularly throughout the year, usually to co-incide with school holidays, an ‘Angel’s View Tour’ is offered, taking visitors to a walkway, high up in the upper levels of the building, known as a clerestory; which offers visitors a unique ‘Angels View’ of the beautiful building interior below – and lovely views outside too.

To get to the clerestory,  we climbed up a spiral staircase of 137 steps, and along the way, our tour guide gave us lots of facts and information about the building and its construction. Once at the top, the views are amazing. It’s not for the feint—hearted – you are very high up, but there are strong stone balustrades all the way along which help you to feel safe and secure as you wonder at the views.

Be sure to look up to the ceiling with its distinctive angels and stars design. This was the work of Owen Jones (1809-1874), one of the great decorative artists of the day. One of the panels has one of the stars missing, but this is no mistake. In the belief that only god can be perfect, a small imperfection was left in the design, in this case, a missing star. See if you can spot which ceiling panel is missing the star!

At this height you can also get up closer to the Medieval stained glass east window, which is the largest in the UK.  At the far end marvel at the intricate drawings on the organ, which contains almost 4,000 pipes! 

Looking down you can enjoy a bird’s eye view over the Bishops Seat and matching stalls – each of which has a unique intricate carving. At just £4 per person, the Angel’s View tour is an absolute bargain and a great way to learn more about the history and architecture of this wonderful building. When the tour is finished, you descend the spiral staircase back to the ground floor and you are free to continue to look around the Cathedral and take in the many distinctive feaures of this unique building.

Adjoining the cathedral is a lovely on-site café, where it is possible to book an afternoon tea to enjoy post tour. Naturally, we had to try one each! Featuring a superb range of savouries including sandwiches, quiche and sausage rolls alongside scones and a selection of cakes it’s deliciously filling and the perfect way to while away an afternoon.  Afternoon tea costs from £25pp and includes an unlimited supply of tea/coffee.

Carlisle Cathedral is open daily - Monday to Friday: 7:30am to 6:30pm; Saturday & Sunday: 7:30am to 5pm.

To book Angel’s View tickets, afternoon tea at the café or for more information about Carlisle Cathedral:

Visit the Carlisle Cathedral Website

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And then there was beer...

Following our delicious afternoon tea at Carlisle Cathedral, we headed out of the city centre to the nearby village of Great Corby. It’s a pretty, traditional village, with a small green, pub and a brewhouse. Great Corby Brewhouse is one of Cumberland’s fantastic micro-breweries, producing tasty ales, each with a local name. 

The team at the Brewhouse showed us around and explained the process of making their delicious ales. We also learnt about the origins of the brewhouse and what they have planned for the future.

The Brewhouse started in 2009 and operated from the old forge building, right in the centre of the village. It now operates from a larger, purpose-built site opposite, but is getting ready to launch tours and tastings for the public from the Old Forge. Keep an eye on the Great Corby Brewhouse website for details but in the meantime, why not pop into the pub next door for a pint of their finest!

For information about Great Corby Brewhouse or to purchase their ales online visit the Great Corby Brewhouse website:

Welcome to Great Corby Brewhouse

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