Residents and visitors are being handed the freedom of Carlisle’s historic Citadel this summer.

Guided tours around the buildings, which have been central to Carlisle’s life for hundreds of years, will take place throughout this month.

Parts of the East Tower, previously used as council office space, are open for the first time.

John Robson, 73, from Carlisle, is one of the guides on the Citadel tours and thinks people should know more about the history around them.

He said: “It’s called hidden history for a reason.

“People pass these towers every day and haven’t got a clue what is in them.

“They never see what’s in here.

“All of this is the wonderful history of the city.”

The Citadel was first built in the recognisable form we know today in 1541.

A Moravian engineer was drafted in by Henry VIII to revamp the city’s defences during the reformation.

Henry didn’t get around to fitting the towers with canons for five years but when he did they faced south, pointing into the city, sending a clear message – if there was an invasion from the north the king was prepared to blast the city to stop it.

Originally a great wall, called a bastion, stretched between the towers to thwar raiders.

Some of this is a mystery even to people born and bred in the region.

Raymond Potter, 70, from Cumwhitton, said: “I am very pleased I have come and I will be bringing my family.

“We need to make more of our history, we have a lot to offer.”

From these medieval beginnings the towers have become a major part of Carlisle life.

Between 1611 and 1922 the Citadel formed part of the city prison.

The worst offenders were hung on top of the walls for the world to see.

By 1822 both towers were operating as courts and the bastion had been demolished. The courts are now in Earl Street, Warwick Road.

Parts of the towers are still used as Cumbria County Council offices but the courts lie empty

Christopher Dixon, 57, from Pennsylvania, USA, was on the tour to get to know more about a town he first got to know four decades ago.

“I was here 40 years ago visiting family.

“My mother, who met my father during the second world war, was from here.

“They corresponded for 13 years before marrying.

“I spent a year here while my father was serving in Vietnam in the US air force and it’s changed a lot since then.”

Tours are schedule to take place between 14:00 and 15:30 Monday to Friday.

Tickets prices are £6 for adults and £4 for children.