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Castles in Scottish Borders and Northumberland |
While Ayton Castle is certainly one of the Scottish Borders most impressive and highly regarded historic buildings, it might have been an entirely different architectural endeavour if its architect, James Gillespie Graham, didn’t have the wealth of older local castles to inspire him to create something worthy of the area’s prestigious collection.
Travel a few miles south and cross the border you come across some of the best castles in England, and there are a few which stand out above the rest.
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Bamburgh Castle is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful, not least for its splendid view of the dramatic Northumbrian coast. Standing on the Basalt Outcrops in the north of Northumberia, this castle once had the honour of being of the seat of the Kings of Northumbria.
This was before the Norman Invasion of 1066, at a time when Bamburgh was variously occupied during the bloody conflicts between the Anglo-Saxons and the Britons.
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The original structure was totally destroyed by the Vikings in 993, a century before the Normans decided to rebuild it. Elements of this early Norman building now form its core. During further bloody battles, this time between England and Scotland, the castle suffered greatly and the magnificent structure which stands today owes its salvation to its many later owners who went to great lengths to restore it.
Fans of myth and magic might recognize the marvellous Alnwick Castle as being the set for Hogwarts School in the Harry Potter films.
The earliest architectural elements of the building date from 1096 and owe their existence to Yves de Vescy, the Baron of Alnwick, who was charged with defending Norman borders against Scottish invaders.
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The early building was added to and reinforced over centuries by those who inhabited it, but it was the Percy family who made it the building which stands today. Henry de Percy, 1st baron Alnwick, bought it from the Bishop of Durham at the beginning of the 14th century. Quite unlike many similar stately homes and historic structures, Alnwick Castle is still owned by the descendants of the man who bought it. Second only to Windsor, it is one the largest inhabited castles in the United Kingdom and is particularly welcoming to visitors.
Northumberland’s many Scheduled Ancient Monuments and Listed Buildings are testament to the rich and sometimes bloody past of England. Ruins like those Dunstanburgh and Warkworth Castles bear the marks of time and history, evincing the ghost of a certain greatness which the world is unlikely to see again.
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