 Vieuxpont was one of only a few supporters of the king in northern England and he most likely began construction of Brougham Castle as soon as he acquired the land . At this stage , the castle would have been enclosed by an earthen bank surmounted by a timber palisade . The first three storeys of the stone keep date from this period . It was entered through the first floor via a forebuilding . To the east of this was a stone structure which was probably a hall . Building in stone was an expensive and time @-@ consuming process . No records tell us how much Brougham cost to construct , but there are records for other stone construction . For example , the late @-@ 12th @-@ century stone keep at Peveril Castle in Derbyshire would have cost around £ 200 , although something on a much larger scale , such as the vast Château Gaillard cost an estimated £ 15 @,@ 000 to £ 20 @,@ 000 and took several years to complete . 
