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Bamburgh Castle has stood guard above the spectacular Northumberland coastline for more than 1,400 years.

Spanning nine acres of land on its rocky plateau, Bamburgh Castle is one of the largest inhabited castles in the country.

Today, the iconic castle is a popular tourist attraction and open to the public.

It’s full of history - and it has been home to a succession of kings from Henry VI to James 1.

It was also the ﬁrst castle in the world to fall to gunpowder in the War of the Roses.

Built on top of a black crag of volcanic dolerite, the location was previously home to a fort of the indigenous Celtic Britons.

At this point, the fortifications were made of wood.

It may have been the capital of the kingdom of Bernicia, the realm of the Gododdin people, from the realm's foundation c. 420 until 547, the year of the first written reference to the castle.

The Normans built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one.

William II unsuccessfully besieged it in 1095 during a revolt supported by its owner, Robert de Mowbray, Early of Northumbria.

After Robert was captured, his wife continued the defence until coerced to surrender by the king's threat to blind her husband.

Bamburgh then became the property of the reigning English monarch.

Henry II probably built the keep as it was complete by 1164.

In 1464 during the Wars of the Roses, it was subject to a nine-month siege by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick.

Bamburgh was home to King Henry VI of the red rose of Lancaster during the Wars, and the castle came under devastating cannon fire.

After centuries of withstanding every kind of armed assault, Bamburgh became the first castle in England to be destroyed by gunfire.

During the Second World War, pillboxes were established in the sand dunes to protect the castle and surrounding area from German invasion.

Today, the castle is in the ownership of the Armstrong family.

What to expect at Bamburgh Castle

Sixteen rooms are open to the public, including the Crewe Museum Room.

This room was originally the medieval kitchens, but now given to fascinating exhibits ranging from a table of oak scavenged from Emperor Hadrian's 2nd-century bridge over the River Tyne.

The King's Hall is a magnificent restored medieval hall, with a minstrel gallery at one end.

The oldest surviving part of the castle is the 12th-century keep, part of which has been adapted to display medieval and Napoleonic armour.

The newest room open to the public is the Archaeology Museum, with exhibits of local history and archaeological investigations.

Among the exhibits is the superb 7th-century sword found here in 1960, known as The Bamburgh Sword, which was probably owned by a Saxon king.

Visitors will also enjoy the Bamburgh Castle Aviation Artefact Museum, showcasing engines, propellers and more rescued from crashed aircraft dating from 1910 through WW2.

The Castle is open to the public weekends only from 10am-4pm until they reopen full time, 7 days a week from 10th February onwards.

Someone who recently visited the castle wrote on TripAdvisor: “Iconic castle in the most stunning setting!

”The castle has so much to do and lots to see - we definitely preferred it to Alnwick and it was certainly better value!

”The rooms were well laid out and the presentation at the beginning of the tour was imaginative and informative.”

Another person added: “Wow the view a you drive up to this castle is spectacular I just had to visit.

”£17.50 entry and I think it was well worth it, great view around the castle grounds and inside was stunning and full off history, really enjoyed it.

”We had a hot drink in the stables all done up nice and Christmasy and there was a Robin singing the whole time, great visit!”

In addition to appearances as itself, Bamburgh Castle has been used as a filming location for a number of television and film projects.

The films include Indiana Jones and Macbeth.

Bamburgh Village

The castle isn’t the only chunk of history that Bamburgh Village has to offer.

The RNLI Grace Darling is a museum dedicated to Grace Horsley Darling, who participated in the rescue of nine men from a tragic shipwreck.

She became Victorian Britain’s greatest heroine, and the profound event had a huge impact on the RNLI as we know it today.

Another must see is Bamburgh Ossuary, which is located in a crypt below St Aidan's church and is the final resting place of the bones of people from the 6th & 7th century.

Discover more about their fascinating history with a guided tour of the crypt.

Standing on Bamburgh Castle beach, looking out at the North Sea, you can enjoy views of Holy Island and the Farne Islands.

If you are visiting the Holy Island of Lindisfarne, make sure to check the safe crossing times as the island is cut off twice a day by the tides!

The village also showcases one of the most scenic golf courses in Britain, boasting views of Lindisfarne, the Farne Islands, the Cheviots and Bamburgh Castle.

With golf courses-a-plenty in this part of Northumberland, you could also enjoy a round at the popular 18-hole Dunstanburgh Castle Golf Course, which is nearby and designed by the great golf course architect James Braid.

Plus, the village offers high-end restaurants serving lovely sea food for those wanting to be wined and dined.

Check out more photos of the castle below:

If you’d like to visit the castle, the address is: Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, NE69 7DF.

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