Photo source: Draco2008 from UK, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
About this place
Warkworth Castle stands in a loop of the River Coquet in Northumberland, less than a mile from the north-east coast.
It began as a timber fortification and was first recorded in a royal charter between 1157 and 1164, when Henry II granted it to Roger fitz Richard.
Its most striking feature is the great keep, built to a cross-shaped plan and set high on its motte, visible for miles along the valley.
English Heritage manages the site today, and visitors can also see the nearby hermitage carved into the riverbank.
Read more on WikipediaHistory
The castle's earliest construction is traditionally linked to Prince Henry of Scotland, Earl of Northumbria, in the mid-12th century, though it may instead date from Henry II's consolidation of the northern counties. Robert fitz Roger, who inherited the estate from his father Roger fitz Richard, hosted King John here in 1213, and Edward I stayed overnight in 1292. John de Clavering later willed the castle to the Crown, and in 1319 Edward II paid to strengthen its garrison during the Anglo-Scottish Wars.
Architecture
The castle's keep is built to an unusual cross-shaped plan and sits atop a Norman motte, one of the more distinctive great tower designs surviving from the medieval period.
Worth knowing
Warkworth Castle is named in Shakespeare's Henry IV plays as the northern seat of the Percy family and their son Hotspur. The site also includes a small hermitage cut into the rock along the Coquet, reached by boat, which was used by a resident hermit in the medieval period.
Facilities
Plan your visit
Nearest station: Acklington Rail Station (3.1 miles)
Open daily; check official English Heritage website for seasonal opening times and hours.
Nearby properties
Warkworth Hermitage
View Warkworth Hermitage on heritage mapEdlingham Castle
View Edlingham Castle on heritage mapCraster Tower
View Craster Tower on heritage mapBrinkburn Priory
View Brinkburn Priory on heritage mapHistoric places nearby
Within 5 miles of Warkworth Castle there are 1 historic properties, including 1 historic building.
Within 10 miles of Warkworth Castle there are 6 historic properties, including 3 castles and 2 historic buildings, across English Heritage and Historic Houses sites.
Within 20 miles of Warkworth Castle there are 16 historic properties, including 6 historic buildings, 6 castles and 4 historic houses, across Historic Houses, English Heritage and National Trust sites.
Facts
A cross-shaped medieval keep on the Coquet that gave Shakespeare's Hotspur his family seat.
- Type
- castle
- Location
- Northumberland, Scotland
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