Toilets open daily 10am-4pm. Wray Castle: If you don't have children, don't bother paying to go inside! It’s a National Trust property but is special because inside it is specifically designed with families in mind. The café is open every day 10am-4pm. Wray Castle, near Ambleside. Inside it is a little tired, dated and faded and quite unlike any other National Trust property I have ever visited. The castle has mock ruins, hidden doors and a billiard room on the first floor next to the bedrooms. Wray Castle is just outside Ambleside in the Lake District. Wray Castle. Travelling to Wray Castle . and new displays. The neo-Gothic “castle” was built in the 1830s as a retirement home for just two people, James and Margaret Dawson, using Margaret’s inheritance from her father’s gin business. It was constructed by Liverpudlian surgeon James Dawson using his wife’s fortune. Boat services to and from Ambleside are not running. The Castle is closed. Wray Castle is on the western shores of Windermere, south-west of Ambleside. Castle Wray was built by a retired surgeon from Liverpool in 1840. All the original fixtures and fittings have mostly been stripped out and replaced with child friendly activities and equipment. On the roof of Wray Castle. Wray Castle History. With a 50/50 forecast for rain, we headed to Wray Castle today. There have been improvements such as an upgraded café (whoop!) It is a Gothic Revival Style home that was built for Dr James Dawson, a retired Liverpool surgeon, in 1840. The first boat took us to Wray Castle which we’ve visited before. My fascination with Wray Castle started back in September this year when I visited the inside of this enormous mock-gothic Victorian house properly for the first time. There is a viewing platform on the top of the central tower but this is not open to visitors due to housing a set of communications masts. He used his wife’s inheritance and proceeded to build this mansion, which she apparently hated at first sight. Wray Castle: Disappointing inside - See 1,918 traveller reviews, 878 candid photos, and great deals for Ambleside, UK, at Tripadvisor. Booking not needed. Wray Castle grounds and car park are open for local access to the outdoors. - See 1,931 traveler reviews, 891 candid photos, and great deals for Ambleside, UK, at Tripadvisor. Wray Castle Wray Castle. Technically, although it is called a castle, Wray Castle is a folly mansion home rather than a real historic castle but it is still magnificent to visit. If it poured down, we’d be safe and warm inside the castle, knowing that there’s plenty to entertain the children, and if not we could venture outside too. Our car park can fill up quickly during busy periods so please consider green methods of transport, which can be an exciting part of your day out. 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