Bamburgh Castle is one of the most spectacular sights in England: a fortress of reddish stone stretching along a basalt outcrop high above the North Sea, over an immense beach of golden sand and dunes. On the Northumberland coast, it was for centuries the capital of the kings of Northumbria, one of the most powerful kingdoms of Anglo-Saxon England. Restored at the end of the 19th century by a great industrialist, it is still lived in by his family today.
History
A British fortress already stood on the rock. In 547 the Anglian king Ida made it his seat, and the place took the name of Bebbanburg, after Queen Bebba, wife of one of his successors. For centuries it was the seat of the kings of Northumbria. After the Norman Conquest the stone castle was built, becoming a border fortress against Scotland. In 1464, during the Wars of the Roses, Bamburgh was the first English castle to fall to artillery fire.
Abandoned and in ruins, in 1894 it was bought by William Armstrong, the Newcastle inventor and industrialist, who restored it completely. The Armstrong family still lives there today. The castle has also become famous as the Bebbanburg of Bernard Cornwell's novels, the adventures of Uhtred told in The Last Kingdom and in the television series of the same name.
- 547King Ida settles on the rock of Bamburgh
- 7th centuryBebbanburg is the capital of the kings of Northumbria
- 12th centuryThe Normans build the great stone keep
- 1464Bamburgh is the first English castle taken by artillery
- 1894William Armstrong buys and restores the castle
What to see
The castle rooms
Inside you can visit many rooms: the great King's Hall, with its teak ceiling and suits of armour, the Cross Hall, the kitchens, the armoury, the lantern room and the family's drawing rooms, with furniture, porcelain, paintings and tapestries. In the cellars are archaeological finds from excavations on the rock, which have yielded objects from the Anglo-Saxon period.
The Armstrong and Aviation Museum
In the old laundry, a museum tells the story of William Armstrong's life and inventions: weapons, hydraulic machines, cranes and also aircraft, with parts of Second World War planes and a section on industrial production in the north-east.
The beach and the dunes
At the foot of the castle stretches one of the finest beaches in England, miles of sand sheltered by dunes, from which you can see the Farne Islands and Lindisfarne. The view of the castle from the beach, especially at sunrise or sunset, is unforgettable.
The village
Bamburgh village has a lovely green, tea rooms, pubs and St Aidan's Church, linked to the saint who died here. Here too is the museum devoted to Grace Darling, the heroine who in 1838 rescued the survivors of the Forfarshire, who is buried in the village churchyard.
Practical information
The castle is open all year, with shorter hours in winter, and is the private property of the Armstrong family. Tickets can be bought online. Opening times and prices are published on the official website.
Getting there
- By train: to Chathill or Berwick-upon-Tweed, then bus or taxi.
- By bus: the coastal bus links Bamburgh with Newcastle, Alnwick and Berwick.
- By car: from the A1, about an hour and a quarter from Newcastle.
- By air: Newcastle Airport is about an hour away.
Nearby
- The Farne Islands, by boat from Seahouses, a few minutes away.
- Lindisfarne, the Holy Island.
- The ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle and the Alnwick Garden.
Tips
- How long: two to three hours for the castle, half a day with the beach.
- When to go: all year round; in summer the beach is at its best.
- A tip: after your visit walk north along the beach and turn round: that is where the best photos of the castle are taken.