Northumberland Coast - Castles

Alnwick

Begun in 1096 by one of William the Conqueror's barons, by the middle of the 12th century Alnwick Castle would probably have looked pretty much as it does now.

The seat of the Dukes of Northumberland; the castle is owned and lived in by the Percy family and only some parts are open to the public. There have been several famous Percy family members One of the Percy Earls was Henry "Hotspur" who dethroned Richard II and made Henry IV King of England - he was immortalised in Shakespeare's play Henry IV.

Bamburgh

There has been a settlement at Bamburgh since AD547, when Ida, the first of the Northumbrian kings invaded the shore here. Later, Oswald, king from 633 - 642, brought the monk Aidan to Lindisfarne in order to convert his people to Christianity. The Vikings attacked in AD993 leaving the castle in ruins, but it was rebuilt in the 11th century and by 1272 it looked much as it does now. The castle is large and imposing, set on the cliffs and looking out towards Lindisfarne (Holy Island). During the War of the Roses it suffered under cannon fire and over the next few centuries lay in ruins. It was eventually bought by the industrialist Lord Armstrong in 1894 who rebuilt it and used it as a family residence.

Bamburgh is in a very beautiful setting, high on the cliffs above the most wonderful stretches of beach. It's definitely best seen from the shore.

Also in the village of Bamburgh is the museum dedicated to Grace Darling. On a September night in 1838 she rowed out with her lighthouse keeper father to rescue nine of the passengers of the ship Forfarshire which had run aground on the treacherous rocks of the Farne Islands during a ferocious storm.

Dunstanburgh

Dunstanburgh Castle
Approaching Dunstanburgh from Craster

To reach this picturesque ruined castle you walk along the coast from either Craster or Embleton. It's definitely worth the walk to get there, it's in a beautiful spot and views along the coast are lovely.

The castle was built in the early part of the 14th century by Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, who was executed for treason in 1322 by Edward II. During the War of the Roses it changed hands five times, and by the end had suffered from the sieges it had weathered. It was abandoned in 1540.

The Castle Gatehouse

Legend has it that Dunstanburgh has a ghost called Sir Guy who failed to rescue a lady from the castle and still, centuries later roams it trying to find her. They say his cries of anguish can be heard at midnight.............

Lindisfarne

The castle dates from the reign of Henry VIII, when All havens should be fenced against the Scots. It's importance diminished after the union of England and Scotland in 1603, and it was used as a coastguard station in the 19th century.

Tynemouth

On the clifftop at Tynemouth stand the walls and gatehouse of the castle. They were built to fortify the already existing Benedictine Priory which was the last resting place of the early kings of Northumbria.

It's a fascinating place to visit, with it's beginnings as a Saxon monastic site, right up to housing coastal defences during the wartimes of this century.

Warkworth

My absolute favourite castle. Built in a loop of the river Coquet, the first fortress was built here in 1150. By the 13th century Warkworth was grand enough for King Edward I to visit. It withstood several raids by the Scots and in 1332 was given by Edward III to Henry de Percy, who also owned Alnwick Castle.

Inside Warkworth Castle Warkworth Castle is said to have been used by Shakespeare as the setting for the opening scene of Henry IV (part II).

We have many photographs of Warkworth, there doesn't seem to be a bad angle! The main problem is choosing which photographs to use on this website!

Previous | Castles | Next