The Scottish Army crossed the border into England at Coldstream, where they razed Wark Castle before moving onto Norham.  They laid siege to Norham Castle for 6 days before destroying it and  moving on.

A castle was first built at Norham in the twelfth century by a Bishop of Durham.  The huge bulk of this building stands on a site of great defensive strength overlooking the River Tweed.  It was repeatedly attacked and beseiged during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, and was captured by the Scots three times between 1136 and 1322.  In 1513 it was stormed by James IV and largely destroyed.  It was later rebuilt to take into account advances in gunpowder artillery, but had lost its importance as a defensive stronghold by the end of the sixteenth century.  *

The Keep

The Gateway

The Ruins

*From the Norham Castle guide book.

***Index to my posts on Flodden.***

12 Comments CherryPie on Oct 21st 2009

12 Responses to “Flodden Field Battle Trail – Part 2”

  1. jameshigham says:

    How real is that shade of green?

  2. mutley says:

    What on Earth are you doing in Scotland? Come home…

  3. liz says:

    THose were buildings built to last! I can’t see many of today’s buildings being around in hundreds of years!

  4. The Economic Voice says:

    Five rounds from pea shooter with Louis Armstrong blowing could take down a modern Barratt housing estate!!!

    Great Pics CherryPie.

    I love the Arch in the second one….makes you want to place a bet on two things:-

    1. How long it has been in that condition for.

    2. How long it will last.

    • CherryPie says:

      Modern housing estates will not stand the test of time!!!

      Thanks for the complement :-)

      I don’t know about the arch, but in the last few years the keep in the top pic has been shrouded in scaffolding whilst is was restored!

  5. Phidelm says:

    Wonderful series, Cherie, filling in a gap in my knowledge of history (one of many, I have to admit!). And, of course, your pix are marvellous too. I love buildings in red sandstone; it has such a rich palette, ranging from burnt umber to a shade that looks quite close to porphyry at times (Hereford Cathedral a favourite, & Kilpeck Church: do you know them?). And the lush green grass is the perfect background. You’ve illustrated this series beautifully – thank you.

    • CherryPie says:

      I am glad you are finding them so interesting. I did buy a book about the battle (whilst I was there) which gave me lots of detailed information. I am glad you like the pics :-)

      I have been to Hereford Cathedral, I loved the chained books there. But I haven’t been to Kilpeck Church.

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