Photo: Bamburgh Castle by Michael Hanselmann - Quaoar10, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Bamburgh Castle stands on a volcanic outcrop above the Northumberland coast, overlooking the village of Bamburgh and its wide sandy beach.
The castle as it stands today was built by the Normans on the site of an earlier Anglo-Saxon fort.
It is privately owned and open to visitors, with a museum of arms, armour and archaeological finds housed inside the keep.
The site sits within the Northumberland Coast Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, a short walk from the shore.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
Bamburgh was the seat of the Anglo-Saxon kings of Bernicia. The Normans replaced the original fort with a stone castle whose keep still forms the core of the building. The Victorian industrialist William Armstrong bought the ruined castle in 1894 and paid for its restoration, and his descendants have owned it ever since.
Architecture
The keep dates from the 12th century and ranks among the largest Norman keeps in England. Much of the rest of the site reflects extensive rebuilding carried out during the Victorian restoration for William Armstrong.
Worth knowing
The Victorian lifeboat heroine Grace Darling is buried in the churchyard in Bamburgh village, close to the castle. The castle is associated with Bebbanburg, the ancestral stronghold of Uhtred in Bernard Cornwell's Last Kingdom novels and their television adaptation.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Chathill Rail Station (5 miles)
Nearby properties
Budle Hall
View Budle Hall on heritage mapLindisfarne Castle
View Lindisfarne Castle on heritage mapLindisfarne Priory
View Lindisfarne Priory on heritage mapPreston Tower
View Preston Tower on heritage mapChillingham Castle
View Chillingham Castle on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Bamburgh Castle there are 1 historic properties, including 1 historic house.
Within 10 miles of Bamburgh Castle there are 6 historic properties, including 3 castles and 2 historic houses, across English Heritage and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Bamburgh Castle there are 17 historic properties, including 8 castles, 4 historic buildings and 4 historic houses, across English Heritage and Historic Houses sites.
Facts
One of England's largest inhabited castles, still owned by the family that rescued it from ruin in 1894.
- Type
- castle
- Location
- Northumberland, England
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