Every significant castle in Northumberland, from the Anglo-Saxon fortress at Bamburgh to the Tudor fort on Holy Island.
Anglo-Saxon royal stronghold rebuilt by Normans; magnificently restored by Lord Armstrong in the 1890s.
Norman motte and bailey built by Robert de Umfraville to guard Redesdale.
Founded by Ivo de Vesci; seat of the Percy family since 1309 and second largest inhabited castle in England.
Mighty border fortress built by the Bishop of Durham; besieged at least 13 times.
Norman castle on the Tyne; the only Northumberland castle never taken by the Scots.
Border stronghold built by Walter Espec; destroyed and rebuilt multiple times during Anglo-Scottish wars.
Medieval fortress known as one of Britain's most haunted castles; home to the Grey family since 1246.
Magnificent cross-shaped keep above the River Coquet; home of Shakespeare's Harry Hotspur.
Built by the Umfraville family for Henry II to control Redesdale; birthplace of Margaret Douglas.
Built partly from stones of nearby Hadrian's Wall on the banks of the River Tipalt.
Norman castle built by the Bertram family overlooking the River Wansbeck.
Original motte and bailey destroyed by King John in 1216; 14th-century gatehouse now holiday accommodation.
Medieval castle rebuilt after the Battle of Flodden; now used as a residential education centre.
Tower house in the North Tyne valley enlarged into a fortified manor; privately owned.
One of the finest and most complete examples of a 13th-century English manor house.
Hall house with added pele tower set in a dramatic wooded gorge on the South Tyne.
Enormous coastal ruin built by Earl Thomas of Lancaster; dramatic headland setting.
Hall house with later solar tower set beside a Norman church in a quiet valley.
Border castle built by Robert Manners to defend against Scottish raids.
Impressive 14th-century gatehouse with turrets overlooking the River Wansbeck.
H-plan tower house built by Sir Thomas de Lucy; now a luxury hotel after 1890s restoration.
Coastal pele tower built to defend against border reivers; stabilised in recent years.
14th-century pele tower with attached 17th-century manor house in landscaped grounds.
Pele tower extended with a great hall; damaged by fire in the 19th century.
Pele tower incorporated into a later mansion with 17th and 18th century additions.
Medieval pele tower with attached Jacobean mansion overlooking the North Tyne.
Quadrangular castle of the Grey family; slighted by James IV of Scotland in 1496.
Tower house built by Sir William Claxton; later seat of the ill-fated Earl of Derwentwater.
Tudor fort on a dramatic rock converted into an Edwardian country house by Edwin Lutyens in 1901.
Northumberland has more castles than any other English county. Centuries of border warfare with Scotland, waves of Viking raids, and the sheer lawlessness of the reivers meant that every valley, every crossing, every stretch of coast needed defending.
This count covers castles and major fortifications only. Northumberland's 70+ pele towers — the smaller defensive towers of the reiver era — are a story for another day.
View the full castles page — images, histories, and visiting information for every castle in Northumberland.
Explore Northumberland — discover the places, landscapes, and stories that make this county extraordinary.