Northumberland Holiday Guide 2009
Langley Castle: Langley’s superb castle, located just The Reivers
off the A69 near Haydon Bridge was restored in the 19
th
The Battle of Flodden (1513) was England’s revenge for their
Century and is now a cosy hotel.
disastrous defeat at Bannockburn (1314). On a hillside near
Berwick, Henry VIII’s English army trapped an invading Scots
Aydon Castle: located north of Corbridge off the A68
army led by James IV. The Scots suffered a crushing defeat
road, Aydon is an extraordinarily well preserved fortified
and James was killed in the rout. This decisive English victory
Medieval manor house open March to September, daily
should have brought peace to the Borders but law and order
except Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
broke down completely. As English and Scots monarchs
Warkworth Castle: Alnwick was a garrison town and
became embroiled in the religious strife of The Reformation, the
the Medieval Percys actually lived at Warkworth, where the
Border’s Marcher Lords seemed powerless to enforce either
sea provided an escape should their latest rebellion fail!
king’s law.
Warkworth is everyone’s dream of what a castle should be
and is open daily except Christmas and New Year.
For the next century Northumberland became the haunt of
powerful bandit families who lived by raiding each other’s cattle
Chillingham Castle: was the base for Edward I’s invasion and died in bitter blood feuds. These families, with names like
of Scotland in 1298. Edward decreed the war was revenge Armstrong, Elliot, Charlton and Forster were the notorious
for the massacre of civilians by William ‘Braveheart’ Wallace
Reivers. The anarchy lasted until 1603 when the English
at Hexham in 1296. Chillingham is still a private residence
and Scottish crowns were finally united under James I (VI in
but the historic parts of the castle, gardens and estate are
Scotland) who succeeded to the childless Queen Elizabeth’s
open from Easter to October, daily except Saturdays.
English throne. Now the Reivers could no longer seek
sanctuary by slipping over the border and many of the most
Chillingham Park: nearby is the living history of
notorious reiving families were rounded up and transported
Chillingham Park which was once part of Chillingham Castle’s
estate. The Walled park is one of the last remnants of the
to Ulster.
great forest which once stretched from the North Sea to
the Firth of Clyde. Furthermore, for 700 years the park has
With England and Scotland welded into Great Britain, the Anglo-
been home to the unique herd of Chillingham Wild Cattle
Scottish Border wars, by definition, became civil wars. The
who are direct descendants of the untamed herds that once Scots first supported the English Parliament’s Roundheads and
roamed across the ancient woodland. Tours of the castle, then Royalist Cavaliers during the English Civil War (1642-51)
accompanied by the warden, run from Easter to October
and the Scottish Stuart Kings (deposed 1688) attempted to
daily except Saturdays and Sunday mornings.. For more
regain their throne with the ‘Jacobite’ Risings of 1715 and 1745.
details visit
www.chillinghamwildcattle.com.
Only when Bonnie Prince Charlie’s rebellion had been crushed
at Culloden (1746) did peace come to Northumberland.
To trace the story from Flodden to the ‘Forty Five’. Don’t miss:
Etal Castle - with a magnificent permanent exhibition
illustrating the Battle of Flodden. Open daily from March to
September. The Hexham Gaol – Hexham’s Medieval gaol, the
first purpose built prison in England, has been transformed
into a fascinating museum of the lawless Reiver times.
Black Midden Bastle, Kielder – for the hapless farmer
the only defence against Reivers was the fortified bastle
(farmstead). The Black Midden Bastle in the Kielder Water
Forest Park is a well preserved example.
Berwick Town Walls – Berwick’s castle was demolished
to make way for the railway station but the town Walls
survive and are the best preserved example of Elizabethan
fortifications in England. The barracks are now home to a
museum of military life open daily from April to September.
Dilston Castle – two Earls of Derwentwater, who lived
at Dilston Castle near Hexham, supported the Jacobites
in 1715 and 1745. Both paid for backing the wrong side
by losing their heads. The castle, in the grounds of the
MENCAP College, is open to the public Tuesday to Sunday
from May to September.
For more information see:
www.visitnorthumberland.com
Warkworth Castle, Mario Czekirda
www.english-heritage.org.uk
www.vindolanda.com
www.hadrians-wall.org
www.visitnorthumberland.com
www.nationaltrail.co.uk/hadrianswall
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