FOR this Nostalgia edition we wanted to take a look at the history of Carlisle Castle.

The castle has towered over the city of Carlisle for hundreds of years.

It was around 900 years ago that the castle first came to be in the city and it has been the site of many battles and sieges since then.

The original building was made from earth and timber, and it was constructed under the guidance of King William Rufus in 1092.

Over the next hundred years it was refortified in stone, it is thought that this was done by Henry I.

The 12th stone keep is the oldest structure that still survives in the building.

In certain rooms there are elaborate carvings on the walls, this makes historians believe that these rooms were prison cells and that the carvings were done by the prisoners, however, other studies suggest that the carvings may have been done by bored prison guards.

Some of the carvings include images of knights, mermaids, and animals.

Royal prisoners were even kept hostage at Carlisle Castle and it was once the home to the King's Own Royal Border Regiment.

One famous prisoner was Mary Queen of Scots who was held captive from 1568, by order of her cousin Queen Elizabeth I.

She fled from her rebellious Scottish subjects, but as she was Catholic and an ally to the French she was deemed to dangerous to be let free in England.

These photos show some of what has gone on at the castle in recent years.