Warkworth Castle
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.