Holiday Accommodation near Hadrians Wall

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Lindisfarne Castle The island is connected to the mainland by an ancient causeway and is only accessable at low tide. Holy Island derives its name from the priory of St Aidan built in 635 but abandoned in 875 and the later Benedictine monastry founded in 1082. Despite the island's suitability as a coastal defence it was not until 1542, five years after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, that the first fortification was begun. The castle was built on the rocky craig using material from the abandoned priory. Work was completed in 1550 and the castle was used to defend the harbour of Holy Island against the Scots and their allies the French. However, the only attack came in 1715 when the castle was briefly siezed by the Stuarts. In the early 19th century it fell into disuse and in 1819 the guns were removed. In 1902 the castle was bought by Edward Hudson, the founder of Country Life, and he employed Sir Edwin Lutyens to restore and improve the fortress. After 1968 the castle was no longer inhabited and was taken over by the National Trust. The Trust has preserved the castle as if it was still lived in, creating an air of timelessness.

Norham Castle Lying close to the Scottish border Norham Castle has been besieged or captured by either the Scots or English on numerous occasions. As a result repairs were carried out constantly from the 12th to the 16th centuries. Flambard, Bishop of Durham constructed the first building on the site in 1120. This survived for only 20 years before it was destroyed by the Scots. A huge rectangular keep was built after 1158 by the Prince-Bishop of Durham who owned the castle for many years. The great tower had strong walls and originally rose to three storeys including a vaulted basement. This was enclosed by walls and proved a strong fortress. In 1173 the castle passed to the crown and King John was probably responsible for building the Sheep Gate. During the 15th century a further two storeys were added to the keep. In 1513 King James IV of Scotland besieged the castle and bombarded it with heavy artillery. After parts of the keep were destroyed the garrison surrended. A few days later King James was killed at the Scottish defeat at the Battle of Flodden Field. In the 16th century the curtain walls were rebuilt to withstand artillery bombardment. Today, although ruined, the castle is still an impressive sight with the keep rising to 90 feet in places. Prudhoe Castle Earthworks were dug on the site in the early 12th century and these were besieged by William the Lion, King of Scotland in 1173 and 1174. These sieges were unsuccesful but the threat of further attacks by the Scots caused Henry II to agree to a allow a stone castle to be built on the site. The attractive square keep was constructed in around 1175 and was surrounded by curtain walls and a gatehouse. The keep was one of the first to be built in Northumberland. In the 13th century a moat was dug and the castle was also provided with two barbicans and a stronger gatehouse. The gatehouse had a vaulted basement and a chapel on the first floor. The chapel had a oriel window which is considered to be one of the earliest to be found in any English castle.