Castle in North East

Dunstanburgh Castle is spectacularly located on headland with its north side jutting out into Embelton Bay 150 feet below, between the towns of Craster and Embelton in the north of England. The castle is set in an eleven acre site but has been left in a state of ruin. The castle's main feature however, the gatehouse, gives a good idea of its once grand scale. The twin towered gatehouse, originally four storeys, now two or three in places are 'D' shaped and behind them lies a courtyard. To the south is a wall with two rectangular towers, a further gatehouse and two turrets, the wall then turns northwards with another turret. Facilities Visitors to the castle must walk along a footpath which follows the rocky shoreline for approximately one and a half miles to reach the site as there is no vehicular access. The castle is open daily from 10am until 5pm between April and September and until 4pm in October, Mondays only between 10am and 4pm November to January and Thursday through to Monday 10am to 4pm February to March. Visitor facilities include a small shop selling postcards and souvenirs and a cafe selling hot drinks and snacks The castle was constructed by Thomas, Earl of Lancaste; nephew to Edward II of England, in 1313 and it is believed he chose the area to perfectly isolate and protect him against the Scottish and the King. Nine years later the castle was almost complete when he was executed in connection with the death of one of the Kings closest companions and it was the Duke of Lancaster, John of Gaunt who was left to make improvements in the late 14th Century. He blocked up the entrance to the gatehouse making it a strong keep and built a new entrance to the left During the War of the Roses significant damage was caused to the castle by canon fire and although it remained in the hands of the Lancastrians it was left abandoned after the war. Much of the stone was removed by locals and used to build homes around the area. In 1929 the castle was donated to the Ministry of Works by Sir Arthur Sutherland, and today it is owned by the National Trust and under the care of English Heritage. The Arts Dunstanburugh was painted on many occasions by Turner. Two such paintings are exhibited at the National Gallery of Victoria and the Public Art Gallery in Dunedin.

Belsay Castle is located at Belsay, Northumberland, England. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building. The castle is a three storey rectangular pele tower with four rounded corner turrets and battlements. The tower has a vaulted basement containing the kitchen, with a well. Above is a hall and a solar with fireplaces. The tower has two wings at the south west and north west corners. Belsay Castle is now administered by English Heritage and is open the public. Belsay Castle was built about 1370 and was the home of the Middleton family. In 1614 Thomas Middleton built a new two storey range in the style of a manor house attached to the tower. There was a west wing added in 1711. This wing was partly demolished in 1872 by Sir Arthur Middleton during renovations. The castle was abandoned as a residence by the family in the early 19th century.

Set on a headland near the North Pier, between the River Tyne and the North Sea, Tynemouth Castle is half a mile from the centre of the town in the north east of England. Both the castle and the priory are in a state of ruin but what remains is well preserved. The eastern end of the priory stands at almost its full height with narrow windows and large arches, behind is a small chapel with a vaulted roof and a rose window. The remains of the castle consist of a gatehouse and keep which are surrounded by parts of a curtain wall; also enclosing the priory, and a moat. Facilities The site is open to visitors daily from 10am between April and September and from Thursday to Monday from October to March. Visitors can see the restored defense emplacements including an armory and guardroom, there is also limited access to the Gun Battery; visitors should ask a member of staff for details. Due to its headland location the site is also a very good place to stop for a picnic. The priory was built on the site in the early 7th century by Edwin of Northumbria and it became a place of pilgrimage when Oswin, King of Deira was buried there. Tynemouth priory was plundered by the Danes in 800AD following which the monks strengthened the fortifications. The strengthening held off the Danes on their next attempt in 832, however in 865 both the church and the priory were destroyed. The Danes twice more plundered the site and in 875 the priory was totally destroyed leaving only the small church. During the reign of Edward the Confessor, Earl Tostig took over the site and made plans to re-found the monastery, unfortunately he was killed at the battle of Stamford Bridge in 1066 and so his plans were never fulfilled. By 1095 there was a wooden castle built on the site and there was a further attempt to re-found the monastery by the Earl of Northumberland, Robert de Mowbray. Due to a dispute the priory was placed under the jurisdiction of the Bishop of Durham but this did not stop the Earl who took refuge in the castle after rebelling against King William II. He was subsequently caught and imprisoned for treason. In 1296 royal permission was granted to surround the monastery with stone walls and later a barbican and gatehouse were added to the castle. During the reign of Henry VIII the monastery was dissolved and along with its lands was granted to Sir Thomas Hilton although the castle still remained property of the crown and home to the Earl of Northumberland. In the following years the castle was used as the site for a lighthouse, an army barracks and a coastal defense during World War II. The castle and priory are now under the care of English Heritage.

Prudhoe Castle is set on a high ridge over looking the River Tyne in the town of Prudhoe, 13 miles west of Newcastle upon Tyne, in the North East of England. The ruins of the castle are reached by a pathway over a tree covered hill and are enclosed by a moat and a curtain wall. The site is also flanked by a watermill and mill pond. Entry to the site is firstly via a barbican and then a gatehouse which opens out into an outer bailey. The outer bailey houses the remains of buildings such as the Great Hall and the Manor House. Enclosed within the castle's inner bailey are the remains of the square keep with walls of 10 feet thick. Facilities The castle is open to visitors from Thursday to Monday between 10am and 5pm from April until September. The Prudhoe Castle experience includes a family friendly exhibition including items found within the site and detailed descriptions of the castle's remains. The Manor House is also where visitors can visit the castle gift shop. The first castle on the site was from the 11th century and was built as a Norman motte and bailey castle. The Baron of Prudhoe, Robert d'Umfraville, took over the castle following the Norman Conquest and in time replaced the wooden structures with more substantial stone ones and added a curtain wall and gatehouse. In 1173 there was an unsuccessful attempt to take the castle by the Scots. Following the attempt the current Baron, Odinel Umfraville, not only increased the castle's garrison, but also improved the defenses by adding a strong keep causing the Scots to fail twice more in their attempts at a siege. Through marriage the castle passed into the Percy family, Dukes of Northumberland, and in 1398 they added a new 'great hall'. The family lost and then gained the castle again during the Wars of the Roses, and finally restored and rented it out until the 1660's when it was left abandoned. It was not until 1808 that the Percy's started to carry out repairs and improvements to the castle; demolishing old buildings and building a Georgian mansion house adjoining the keep. In 1966 English Heritage took over the running of the site although the castle still remains the property of the Duke of Northumberland.

Auckland Castle is located at Bishop Auckland in County Durham. It is the official residence of the Bishop of Durham and has been owned by the diocese for more than 800 years. It is a Gothic country house rather than a military castle. The castle is open to the public and is available for weddings, conferences and banquets. It has a large archway over the enterance to Bishop's Park. Auckland Castle is also known as Auckland Palace. The castle is surrounded by a large park originally used by the Bishops for hunting. In the park there is the Deer House built in 1760 - a large stone castellated structure used as a shelter for deer, with a viewing room for people to see the deer. Part of the building was called the Scotland Wing because it was used to hold Scottish prisoners. The Scotland Wing is now used as accommodation for the Durham Diocesan Office, and the official residence of the Bishop of Durham.

Chillingham Castle is located in the village of Chillingham in Northumberland, near the border between England and Scotland. The castle is built in a quadrangle with a large inner courtyard. There are numerous parts of the castle open to visitors. The Armoury at the entrance has many weapons and memorabilia. The Great Hall was built for the Royal visit of James VI of Scotland. The walls display weapons and trophies from around the world. The Edward 1st Room is where Edward stayed on his journey to capture William Wallace. The Plaque Room has a fine plasterwork armorial plaque, and a display of paintings and photographs. The Museum has many artifacts of historical significance. The Great Hall and New Dining Room can be visited. There is a Minstrel's Hall with Minstrel's Gallery. The Berthele Room is full of prehistoric stones and weapons. The Torture Chamber has executioners blocks, an Iron Maiden with interior spikes, a scold's bridle, and thumb screws. The thick walls had passages running through them linking the castle towers. Some of these passages are now filled in. There is a dungeon with a heavy oak door with handles on only one side, and inside the dungeon is a drop to deeper chambers below. From the medieval courtyard you get a good view of the walls and towers. The Castle is now open to the public and is available for weddings and private functions and has accommodation for about fifty guests. The adjacent park is under a separate ownership from the castle and is home to the Chillingham Wild Cattle. Chillingham Castle was originally a monastery in the late 12th century. It was taken over by the Grey family in 1246 and was the seat of the Greys and their descendants the Earls of Tankerville from the 13th century until the 1980s. It was converted to a fortified castle in the mid 14th century. The castle occupied a strategically important location on the border between Scotland and England. It was used as a base for English armies entering Scotland, and was attacked and besieged several times by Scottish armies. King Edward I stayed at the castle in 1298 on his way to Scotland to battle a Scottish army led by William Wallace. After the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England, the need for a military stronghold declined, and the castle was gradually transformed to a stately home. The moat was filled, and the battlements were converted into residential wings. A banquet hall and library were added; the central stairway was added from the courtyard to the upper level of the castle, and the east range was remodeled. The grounds were extensively landscaped in the 18th and 19th century. During World War II, the castle was used as an army barracks. After the war, the castle began to fall into disrepair. In the 1980s, the castle was purchased by Sir Humphry Wakefield, 2nd Baronet, whose wife Catherine is descended from the Greys of Chillingham. He restored the castle, and it is now a restoration of the castle, and it is now a hotel. The Arts Chillingham Castle was used for many historic scenes in the film "Elizabeth" ; "The Making of Harry Potter" was based at Chillingham; The Hollywood ghost film, "Most Frightened", was filmed at Chillingham Chillingham Castle featured in an episode of "Ghost Hunters International", 2008; also in several episodes of the series "Scariest Places on Earth", 2000. Legends Chillingham Castle is said to be Ione of the most haunted castle in Britain. The most famous ghost of the castle is the "blue boy", who is supposed to haunt the Pink Room in the castle. Guests apparently reported seeing blue flashes and a blue "halo" of light above their beds.

Barnard Castle is a situated in the town of Barnard in County Durham. The castle is in ruins. Interesting features remaining are the ruins of 12th century cylindrical tower and the 14th century Great Hall and Great Chamber. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building. The castle is managed by English Heritage, a body responsible for protecting the historical environment, and is open to the public. A stone castle was built on the site around the end of the 11th century by Guy de Baliol. In 1216 the castle was besieged by Alexander II, King of Scotland. When John Baliol was overthrown as King of Scotland in 1296 the castle was taken over by the Bishop of Durham. In the 15th century the castle passed to the Neville family. During the Wars of the Roses, Richard III took possession of the castle. Barnard Castle was abandoned in the 17th century.

Bowes Castle is situated in the village of Bowes in County Durham. The ruins of the keep are all that remains, and the ruins are now managed by English Heritage, a body responsible for protecting the historical environment The castle was built around 1136 on the site of an old Roman fort guarding the Stainforth Pass through the Pennines. The castle was built by Alan, Count of Brittany, but after the death of Alan's son, ownership of the castle passed to the crown. King Henry II built a massive stone keep in the 1170s. In 1173 Bowes Castle was attacked and damaged by King William I of Scotland. The castle was besieged in 1322 in a local feud, and the castle fell into ruin.

Raby Castle is a late medieval castle situated near Staindrop in County Durham . It is one of the largest inhabited castles in England. The Grade I listed building has elegant eighteenth and nineteenth century interiors. The Garrison Room has walls up to twenty feet thick. The exterior is largely unchanged. The Castle is open to the public and contains many works of art. There is a Deer Park of 200 acres surrounding the Castle. The first castle built on the Raby estate was constructed during the reign on King Canute (or Cnut) in the early 11th century. The castle that stands there now was begun by the Nevill family around 1360. The Nevilles lost the castle after they led the failed Rising of the North in favour of Mary, Queen of Scots in 1569. Sir Henry Vane the Elder bought Raby Castle and neighbouring Barnard Castle from the Crown, and added a Gothic-style entrance hall and octagon-shaped drawing room were added. Cecily Neville, the mother of the King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England was born here.

Warkworth Castle near Warkworth in Northumberland is one of the finest and most romantically situated medieval castles in northern England, a Percy family stronghold on a promontory above a sweeping bend of the River Coquet with the picturesque village and medieval bridge below. The castle dates from the twelfth century and was extensively developed by the Percy earls of Northumberland in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries into a residence of considerable sophistication, including the remarkable tower house keep with its unique cruciform plan. The castle features prominently in Shakespeare's Henry IV plays, where it is the home of Harry Hotspur. Managed by English Heritage and open to visitors, Warkworth Castle is complemented by the remarkable medieval hermitage carved into the riverside cliff a short distance upstream, accessible by rowing boat in the summer season.

Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England (after Windsor Castle). The Castle contains the finest collection of Italian paintings in the north of England and also one of the most important collections of Meissen porcelain in Britain. The castle is made up of two main rings of buildings. The main rooms are in the inner ring which surrounds a small courtyard. The outer ring forms a bailey around the central block. As the castle expanded a large number of buildings were built along the south wall of the bailey. The buildings along the south wall are connected to the central block by a link building. There are towers at regular intervals along the walls of the outer bailey. (These features can be clearly seen by zooming in on the Google Map satellite image below). It has been the home of the Percys, Earls and Dukes of Northumberland since 1309. The earliest mention of Alnwick Castle in the history books appears soon after 1096 when the baron of Alnwick built the earliest parts of the Castle. The Arts Alnwick Castle has featured in numerous movies including: Robin Hood Prince of Thieves (1991), Monk Dawson (1998), Elizabeth (1998), Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2007). It has also been used in many TV series such as Blackadder (1983), Famous Five (1995-96), Ivanhoe (1997).

Edlingham Castle is situated near a church in the village of Edlingham, about seven miles south west of Alnwick in Northumberland The castle is now in ruins with only part of the tower still standing about 10m tall. The tower has a major crack from top to ground with part of the structure leaning outwards. You can still see buttresses that were used to support the ceiling vaults, but the vault and parts of the tower have collapsed. The foundations and part of the walls of the castle buildings are still visible. The curtain walls are little more than earth covered mounds now. The castle is now in the care of English Heritage. Facilities There is a small parking area at the church beside the castle. The site of the castle was originally a 12th century manor house. It was fortified with ramparts, and surrounded with a wall and gatehouse in the 13th century. By the 17th century it had fallen into disrepair and stones from the castle were used to build nearby farm houses. The tower was left standing.

Bamburgh Castle is a historic fortress on the Northumberland coast of England, with origins dating back to the 6th century and a rich history spanning Anglo-Saxon kings, Viking raids, Norman conquest, and Victorian restoration. Historical Overview Bamburgh Castle sits atop a basalt crag 150 feet (46 meters) above the North Sea, providing a strategic vantage point over the coastline and nearby islands such as Lindisfarne and the Farne Islands. The site was originally a Celtic Brittonic fort known as Din Guarie and may have served as the capital of the kingdom of Bernicia from around 420 to 547. In 547, King Ida of Bernicia captured the site, establishing a timber stronghold that later evolved into a stone fortress under Norman rule in the 11th century. The castle’s keep, completed in 1164 during the reign of Henry II, remains a central feature. Bamburgh Castle has endured numerous attacks and sieges. It was sacked by Vikings in 993, besieged by Robert de Mowbray in 1095, and became the first English castle to fall to cannon fire during the Wars of the Roses in 1464. It also served as a royal residence for Northumbrian kings and later as a prison, holding King David II of Scotland after the Battle of Neville’s Cross in 1346. By the 18th century, the castle had fallen into disrepair. In 1894, Victorian industrialist William Armstrong purchased and extensively restored the castle, blending medieval and Victorian architectural elements. Today, it remains a private residence of the Armstrong family while being open to the public. Archaeological excavations have uncovered significant Anglo-Saxon artifacts, including the Bamburgh Sword and a gold plaque known as the Bamburgh Beast. The Bowl Hole Cemetery revealed remains of individuals from diverse regions, now housed in St Aidan’s Church crypt. The castle also hosts the Armstrong and Aviation Artefacts Museum, showcasing Victorian engineering and military history. Bamburgh Castle has inspired literature and media, appearing in Bernard Cornwell’s The Saxon Stories, films such as Elizabeth (1998) and Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), and television series including The Last Kingdom. Its legendary association with Joyous Gard, the mythical home of Sir Lancelot, adds to its cultural allure. Bamburgh Castle remains a symbol of Anglo-Saxon resilience, medieval power, and Victorian restoration, offering visitors a unique glimpse into over 1,400 years of English history.

Norham Castle stands on a commanding promontory above the southern bank of the River Tweed in Northumberland, England, just a few miles from the Scottish border. It is one of the most historically significant and dramatically situated medieval fortresses in northern England, a place where the contested borderlands between England and Scotland collide with centuries of warfare, diplomacy, and legend. Managed today by English Heritage and freely accessible to visitors, the castle presents a substantial and evocative ruin that rewards anyone with an interest in medieval history, border conflict, or simply wild and beautiful riverside landscapes. The great central tower, or keep, still rises impressively despite its ruined state, and the sheer scale of the earthworks and curtain walls communicates something of the immense strategic importance this site once held. The castle was founded around 1121 by Ranulf Flambard, the powerful and controversial Bishop of Durham, who recognised the defensive potential of the high ground overlooking the Tweed ford. In the medieval world, the bishopric of Durham was a prince-palatine, wielding near-royal authority across the north of England, and Norham became one of its key instruments of power and protection. The site passed through many hands over the following centuries and was repeatedly rebuilt, strengthened, and battered. It endured numerous Scottish sieges and in 1318 was captured by Robert the Bruce following a year-long siege — one of the longest and most determined assaults in the border wars. The castle was retaken by the English and continued to play a central role in Anglo-Scottish affairs throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Its most catastrophic moment came in August 1513, when James IV of Scotland besieged it with a vast army on his way south to what would become the Battle of Flodden. The castle fell after only five days of bombardment by the massive Scottish artillery, a sobering demonstration of how gunpowder had fundamentally changed the nature of siege warfare. The Battle of Flodden itself, fought just a few miles to the south at Branxton, resulted in a catastrophic Scottish defeat and the death of James IV, leaving Norham both battle-scarred and historically intertwined with one of the most significant engagements in British history. Norham holds a special place in cultural memory too, chiefly because of its association with Sir Walter Scott, whose narrative poem Marmion opens with one of the most celebrated passages in Romantic literature. The poem's famous lines — "Day set on Norham's castled steep, / And Tweed's fair river, broad and deep" — fixed the image of the castle firmly in the popular imagination of the nineteenth century and drew literary tourists to the Tweed valley for generations. J.M.W. Turner also visited and painted Norham Castle on multiple occasions, producing some of his most luminous and atmospheric works, including his celebrated misty sunrise compositions in which the ruin dissolves into golden light. The castle thus occupies a remarkable double role: a place of genuine historical violence and strategic importance, and simultaneously one of the most painted and poeticised ruins in Britain. In person, the physical experience of visiting Norham is deeply atmospheric. The keep, though roofless and missing much of its upper fabric, still stands to a considerable height and the quality of the stonework — much of it dating from the twelfth and thirteenth centuries — is impressive up close. Thick grassy earthworks and remnants of walls enclose an area that once held a substantial garrison. The site is elevated above the river and from the upper vantage points there are views across the Tweed to the Scottish bank, with the water running wide and grey-green below. The sound of the river is almost always present, and in quieter conditions birdsong fills the ruin — the castle is a peaceful and surprisingly intimate place despite its violent history. In low morning light, or on overcast autumn days, it is easy to understand why Turner was so captivated: there is a quality of golden, diffuse light here that seems particular to the Tweed valley. The landscape surrounding Norham is among the most beautiful in the border counties. The village of Norham itself is a small, quiet settlement with a handsome Norman church — St Cuthbert's — which is worth visiting in its own right, as it contains fine architectural detail and has its own deep history connected to the cult of St Cuthbert. The River Tweed here is wide, clear, and famous for its salmon fishing. The borderlands through which it runs are gentle in topography — rolling farmland and stands of deciduous woodland — yet carry an almost palpable sense of historic tension and past turbulence. Coldstream, the Scottish market town, lies just a few miles upstream and marks the border crossing, while the battlefield at Flodden is only around five miles to the south, making Norham a natural anchor for anyone exploring the wider landscape of the 1513 campaign. The town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, itself a place of extraordinary historic complexity, lies roughly seven miles to the northeast. For practical purposes, Norham Castle is freely accessible at any reasonable time as an English Heritage site managed as an open ruin. There is a small car park in the village, and the castle sits a short walk away. The site is largely grassed and open, with some uneven ground, and those with limited mobility should be aware that the terrain can be challenging, particularly around the earthworks. The interior of the keep can be entered at ground level. There are no facilities on site, but the village has a pub. The castle is at its most dramatic in early morning light and on days with interesting skies. Spring and autumn are particularly rewarding times to visit, though the site is open and enjoyable year-round. Those travelling by public transport can reach Norham village from Berwick-upon-Tweed, which is served by the East Coast Main Line, though services to the village itself are limited, making a car the most practical option for most visitors. One of the more unusual aspects of Norham's story is its legal history: the castle and the surrounding parish for many centuries occupied an ambiguous jurisdictional position, belonging to the County Palatine of Durham rather than to Northumberland proper, meaning that royal writs did not technically run there in the ordinary way. This strange enclave status — Norhamshire — persisted in some administrative form until the nineteenth century. The castle was also the chosen site in 1291 for one of the most momentous legal proceedings in Scottish history, when Edward I of England convened the Great Cause — the adjudication of rival claims to the Scottish throne — at Norham, asserting his overlordship over Scotland in the process. The eventual outcome, which placed John Balliol on the Scottish throne, set in motion a chain of events that would lead directly to the Wars of Scottish Independence and the careers of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. Few ruins anywhere in Britain can claim to have sat at the centre of such historically consequential moments.

Newcastle Castle Keep is the magnificent Norman keep that is all that remains of the original castle that gave Newcastle upon Tyne its name, built by Henry II between 1168 and 1178 on the site of an earlier motte-and-bailey castle established by William the Conqueror's son Robert Curthose in 1080. The keep is one of the finest and best-preserved Norman keeps in England, rising to four storeys with elaborate architectural details including the remarkable chapel with its richly carved stonework and the well-lit Great Chamber. The castle is managed by Newcastle City Council and provides exceptional views over the Tyne valley, the medieval bridges and the city from its roof. The castle is a reminder that Newcastle was established as a military stronghold at one of the most strategically important river crossings in northern England.