A brief history from the Bamburgh Castle website:
Spanning nine acres of land on its rocky plateau high above the Northumberland coastline Bamburgh is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country.
Bamburgh’s written history begins in the times of the Anglo-Saxons with one chronicler citing Bamburgh as probably the most important place in all of England. But even before this there were people living here, there is archaeological evidence that as early as 10,000 BC there were people here. There are Bronze Age (2,400 -700BC) burials nearby and pottery sherds dating to the Iron Age (700 BC – 43AD). With little evidence of their occupation only the name Din Guayrdi gives us a hint that Romans were sometime between 43AD and 410AD.
It was during the early medieval period between 411AD and 1066AD that Bamburgh grew in stature and importance. With the arrival of the Saxons, the creation of an important Christian site and the coming and going of the saints Oswald, Aidan and Cuthbert, it was a pivotal time. Following this period we saw the arrival of the Normans and the construction of our Great Tower, the culmination of the Wars of the Roses with the siege of 1464. The arrival of the Foster family, gifted the ruins by James 1 with the subsequent acquisition by Lord Crewe and the formation of the Crewe Trustees. A resurgence in stature as under the guidance of John Sharpe the castle became a leading surgery and dispensary for the poor and sick.
Finally the castle passed into the hands of the First Lord Armstrong, with the intention of creating a respite home he passed away before its restoration was complete and became the Armstrong family home. It is still owned by the Armstrong Family who opened it up to visitors in the mid 1900’s and remains to this day an icon of the North East of England.
It’s been such a long time!
I don’t remember much about this castle, but I did walk along the shore.
>icon of the North East of England.
Ha… Glad you didn’t mention The Angel of the North!
This is our first visit to the castle for many a year. We really enjoyed the visit apart from the beginnings of Storm Ali.
The Angel of the North did reveal itself to us as we travelled to Newcastle for the first night of our holiday.
http://www.cheriesplace.me.uk/blog/index.php/2018/10/02/jesmond-dene-cornhill-day-one/
Sometimes I wonder if these are built to keep people out or in!?
It is warm and comfy inside with impressive views
As you might know, I often want to see places “on the map” and so I did with this castle and then I went to the website and then I read this “Ghostly Guided Tours
Friday, October 19, 2018
We have never really talked about our more ‘unusual’ visitors and we tend keep our experiences to ourselves. We are frequently asked whether the castle is haunted, which, of course, it is. Some of our guides who have worked here for decades have seen, felt and experienced lots of unexplained act” …….
Don’t you just love it when they do these tours and add a special effect to these castle. We all have a lively imagination. I think you both loved this place to visit. This is how a castle should look like.
This is a perfect example of what a castle should be
The ghost stories do attract an active imagination. But sometimes unexpected odd things happen, causing a pause for thought and consideration.
Hello CherryPie This is the area I live now… Near Morpeth.. Not been to Bamburgh yet though.. I have been doing more beach walking.. One day I will go, when family come.. Very interesting. X
I love this part of the world, it is why we holiday there every couple of years or so. Bamburgh and the coastal road are well worth a visit.
This is only the second time that we have been inside the castle, we often just drive along the coast to see how impressive the castle looks standing prominent in the landscape.