Let’s Visit the Ancient Castles of England
England is home to around 1500 castles, mostly in landlocked counties or on the Northumberland coast. The oldest inhabited castle in Europe is 900-year old Windsor Castle (a beautiful building, despite differences of opinion about monarchs).
Built to defend against attack or as signs of power and wealth, some have dungeons (the French word for ‘fortified tower’) and were more like ‘coal bunkers’ for people under attack, and later were used as prisons. Moats were often used too as defence.
Northumberland Castles (over 70 of them!
Northumberland has more castles than anywhere else in England. Alnwick Castle is one of the oldest inhabited castles, often called the ‘Windsor Castle of the North’. If you like period dramas, you’ll recognise the sumptuous Italianite rooms, in episodes of Downton Abbey.
If out walking, always follow the Countryside Code, to keep all creatures safe. Also read about keeping dogs safe by the seaside.
Bamburgh Castle (above) was once lived in by kings, who ruled over this county. Today it’s said to be the most haunted of castles! It has a stunning location overlooking the wide sandy beaches near the Farne Islands.
It’s also home to large seabirds called Fulmars, who for hundreds of years have nested on the battlements. Now protected by law, staff often rescue chicks who land on the roofs, unable to take off again.
Nearby is the town of Seahouses, which is where you can look out towards The Farne Island, home to thousands of puffins, seals and seabirds. The town did not exist, until the harbour was built.
Beyond that is Beadnell, a very pretty village by the sea, with sandy beaches and a unique west-facing harbour. It was originally two medieval hamlets, that grew into one single village.
Some castles are small and inland, others overlook the sea.
Lindisfarne Castle
This is located on Holy Island, where hermit saints like St Cuthbert used to live. Today the many tourists with cars are reminded to look at tide times, so not to be cut off at high tide, due to the causeway.
Alnwick Castle
This is one of the oldest inhabited castles (often called ‘the Windsor Castle of the North). If you like your period dramas, you’ll recognise the sumptuous Italianite rooms being used for filming episodes of Downton Abbey.
Wray Castle (a gothic castle in the Lake District)
Wray Castle (Cumbria) is a Gothic castle owned by the National Trust, sitting above Lake Windermere. Originally built for a retired surgeon from Liverpool, a descendent (who became the local vicar) decided to hand it over to the Trust, so it could be enjoyed by others, and preserved.
One local teenage visitor was the writer Beatrix Potter, who was so enamoured by the place that she bought a local house (Hill Top) with royalties from her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit. Following suit, when she died, she left thousands of acres to the National Trust.
