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Before the 14th century, there was a castle in the island. But there is no document about the constructor of this former castle. Phoenicia, Roman Empire and the Republic of Venice were among the possible constructors. However, the castle was demolished after the War of Chioggia between the Republic of Venice and the Republic of Genoa by the advice of the Pope. When Mehmet II of the Ottoman Empire conquered the island in 1455 he rebuilt the castle. In July 1656, during the Cretan War, a Venice fleet commanded by Giacomo Loredano captured the castle. But Ottomans under Köprülü Mehmet Pasha reconquer the castle in August 1667. [1] Soon after the reconquest, the castle underwent a great renewall. A second renewal was carried on in 1815 by the sultan Mahmut II.
Lewes Castle, East Sussex: 12th century gateway and 14th century barbican beyond it - looking outwards.
See the very interesting information on www.theheritagetrail.co.uk/castles/lewes castle.htm
I overlooked this one when I uploaded the rest and perhaps it should be included!
Explore May 1, 20012
Castle Donovan (Irish: Caisleán Uí Dhonnabháin) or Castledonovan or O'Donovan's Castle refer to the remains of an Irish tower house or túrtheach, in a valley near Drimoleague, of medium size which was the so-called "seat" of the Clann Cathail sept of the O'Donovans for a period during the 16th century. The original name of the castle, and when the O'Donovans were actually living in it, was Sowagh (or Sooagh, Suagh) before the 17th century. The name of Castle Donovan, after the Manor of the Castle of O'Donovan, is associated with a regrant from James II of England in 1615. Approximately 60 feet in height, it sits on an enormous rock or outcropping, which forms the ground floor, close to the bank of the River Ilen. It is commonly believed to have been built, or at the very least augmented, by Donal of the Hides, Lord of Clancahill from about 1560 to his death 1584. His son Donal II O'Donovan then repaired or further altered the structure some decades later, but was not living in it by then. It is believed that his father had already relocated the family in the first decade of that century to the more profitable Rahine Manor on the seacoast to protect their maritime interests.
According to tradition the tower was severely damaged by Oliver Cromwell's soldiers in the late 1640s, blown up with powder in retaliation for Donal III O'Donovan joining the Stuart side and for his involvement in the rebellion and massacres of 1641, and has been uninhabited since that time.
On strategically so important place towers Trentino’s largest fortress, referred to as Castel Beseno. First written documents date back to the 12th century, when the castle still belonged to the counts of Appiano and served as a residence to the aristocratic family Da Beseno. In the following years and centuries, the castle witnessed a rather turbulent history. In 1470 it was handed over to the counts Trapp, a noble family from Styria affiliated with the Austrian emperor. Soon the castle had to be rennovated due to a fire and the medieval castle turned into a residence. Threatened by decay, the castle was given to the Province of Trento, rennovated and made a remote seat of the Castello del Buonconsiglio Museum. Two mighty elliptical walls featuring a length of 250 and a width of 55 metres surround the castle. Worth seeing are also the dark castle gate, the drawbridge, the crenels and the arena.
Великие бастионы, которые характеризуют Кастель-Бесено, относятся к 16 веку, когда замок был приспособлен для сражений с применением огнестрельного оружия. Сегодня, помимо внутренних дворов и зданий крепости, которые когда-то использовались в качестве кухонь, хлебных печей, подвалов и складских помещений, можно также посетить и прогуляться по парапетной прогулке с панорамным видом на Валь д'Адидже и долина, ведущая к плато Альтопиано ди Фольгария.
Matsumoto - Japan.
Matsumoto Castle, also known as the "Crow Castle" because of its black exterior, is one of Japan's premier historic castles. It is located in the city of Matsumoto, in Nagano Prefecture.
The keep (tenshukaku), which was completed in the late 16th century, maintains its original wooden interiors and external stonework. It is listed as a National Treasure of Japan.
Matsumoto Castle is a flatland castle (hirajiro) because it is not built on a hilltop or amid rivers, but on a plain. Its complete defences would have included an extensive system of inter-connecting walls, moats and gatehouses. (Cit. Wikipedia)
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This is the entrance to the castle. The scars of battle can still be seen on the facing wall.
Broughty Castle is a historic castle on the banks of the River Tay in Broughty Ferry, near Dundee. It was completed around 1495, although the site was earlier fortified in 1454 when George Douglas, 4th Earl of Angus received permission to build on the site. His son Archibald Douglas 5th Earl of Angus was coerced into ceding the castle to the crown. The main tower house forming the centre of the castle with four floors was built by Andrew, 2nd Lord Gray who was granted the castle in 1490.
The castle saw military action during the 16th-century in the war of the Rough Wooing. After the Battle of Pinkie in September 1547 it was surrendered by purchase to the English by its owner, Lord Gray of Foulis. The castle was attacked again, in 1651, b General Monck and his Parliamentary army during the Wars of Three Kingdoms. On this occasion the Royalist defenders fled without a fight. After 1666, when the Gray family sold the castle, it gradually became more ruinous.
In 1846 the castle was bought by the Edinburgh and Northern railway Company in order to build an adjacent harbour for their railway ferry. In 1855 the castle was acquired by the war office with the intention of using it to defend the harbour from the Russians. In 1860 renewed fears of a French invasion led the War Office to rebuild and fortify the site. The site was rebuilt according to the designs o Robert Rowand Anderson. The walls of the main courtyard were rebuilt and new wing and courtyard were added to the tower. A caponier was added along the south-east side of the courtyard. Emplacements for nine large guns were also constructed. A small enclosure on the west side of the courtyard was also built.
From 1886 to 1887 a range was built to house submarine miners to the east of the castle. In an emergency these would lay mines in the Tay Estuary to damage enemy shipping. In 1889–1891 a magazine was built within the western enclosure which also led to a major remodeling of the gun emplacements. The castle remained in military use until 1932, and again between 1939 and 1949. The last defence-related alteration was made in the Second World War when a defence post was built within the top of the main tower.
The castle has been a museum since 1969.
A medieval gate in the Roman wall.
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Portchester Castle in Hampshire is a castle of many periods and many uses. It has been a Roman fort, a Saxon settlement, a powerful medieval castle, a priory, a place of conspiracy and a prisoner of war camp.
Portchester started as the Roman ‘Saxon Shore’ fort of Portus Adurni in about the 3rd century A.D. The present square plan of outer walls are Roman and are well preserved, with medieval improvements. These are still some of the best Roman walls in Britain. Wiki claims they are the best preserved Roman walls north of the Alps.
The term ‘Saxon Shore’ has to be used with caution as, while these forts may have served in the later defence of Britain against European tribes such as the Saxons, most evidence suggests they were first built to defend against other Romans during a period of rival Roman emperors. Indeed Portchester is so far to the south as to have been useless against Saxons, Angles or Jutes invading from Denmark or Holland but well placed against invaders from Roman-held France/Gaul. Like all these forts it was a base for the Roman navy as much as their army.
Post-Roman there is evidence and records of a Saxon settlement or burgh within the Roman walls but the coming of the Normans in 1066 meant that the new invaders recognised the value of the site as a large and almost ready-made base for the Norman Conquest. As at Pevensey, in Sussex, the Roman walls were supplemented by a Norman ‘inner bailey’ and then a tall keep. The keep at Portchester is square and still well preserved but is the least disability friendly of a large and generally flat site.
The pious Normans also allowed the Augustinians to build a priory in one corner of the site, where the present church is, while high on the walls there are nine ‘garderobe’ or toilet chutes to allow the monks to relieve themselves straight into the harbour, which then came up to the Roman walls on that side.
Various kings spent money here; Edward II spent £1,100 in the early 14th century in anticipation of a French invasion while Richard II remodelled the great hall, concealing older Norman material under his work. The 1415 ’Southampton’ plot against Henry V was discovered here - this also features in Shakespeare’s Henry V. The Earl of Cambridge, Baron Scrope of Masham and Sir Thomas Grey were arrested and executed.
Sold in 1632, the castle was in private hands but often used as a prison. Prisoners included Dutch from the Second Anglo-Dutch war (1665-67) and French and their allies from the War of the Spanish Succession and the Napoleonic Wars. Some 7,000 Napoleonic prisoners were kept here with the castle being so overcrowded that they hung their hammocks from the huge floor beams high up inside the keep, often with an enormous drop beneath them should the hammock split or they fell out. Many died and were buried on the tidal mudflats where their bones still turn up today.
Today the site is in the hands of English Heritage.
Caerphilly Castle (Welsh: Castell Caerffili) is a medieval castle that dominates the centre of the town of Caerphilly in south Wales. It is the largest castle in Wales and the second largest in Britain after Windsor Castle. Built mainly between 1268 and 1271 to stop Llywelyn ap Gruffudd's southward ambitions, it is an early example of a concentric castle with extensive water defences.
The castle deteriorated during several centuries of disuse. Its owners since 1766, the Marquesses of Bute undertook extensive restoration. During the 1930s, surrounding streets were levelled to restore the dominant view which had been obscured by town development. In 1950, the castle and grounds were handed over to the British government.
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Castle Class 7029 Clun Castle approaching the Crooked Lane overbridge at Brent Knoll on24 June 2023 with the Shrewsbury to West Somerset Railway special, with the Mendip Hills in the background
Sadly, the 'proper' approach to the castle, from the Royal Mile, leads first to a very large and unattractive bleacher area of seats. I like this view better; much more atmospheric!
Castle Campbell is a medieval castle situated above the town of Dollar, Clackmannanshire, in central Scotland. It was the lowland seat of the earls and dukes of Argyll, chiefs of Clan Campbell, from the 15th to the 19th century, and was visited by Mary, Queen of Scots, in the 16th century.
History
The castle was originally known as Castle Gloom, possibly deriving from the Scottish Gaelic: glom, meaning a chasm, and referring to the narrow gorges to either side of the site. The naturally defended position may have been the site of a motte in the 12th century. The present tower was built in around 1430 for John Stewart, Lord Lorn, (d.1463) or one of his kinsmen.
In 1465 the property was acquired by Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll, (d.1493) on his marriage to Isabel, Lord Lorn's daughter. The first historical record of the castle dates from the following year, when Pope Paul II issued a bull against Walter Stewart, son of Lord Lorn, for attacking and damaging the "Place of Glowm". Argyll, who was at the papal court at the time, may have been instrumental in arranging the Pope's intervention. The tower shows signs of early rebuilding following this episode.
The acquisition of Gloom expanded the power of the Campbells from Argyll in the west into central Scotland, and suited his position as Master of the Household to James III, which required his frequent presence at court. In 1488 Argyll petitioned the newly crowned James IV to formally change the name of Gloom to Castle Campbell, and this was done by an act of parliament. The change in name may imply that the term "castle" was seen as particularly prestigious, requiring royal approval for its use. At this time, the castle would have comprised the tower house, with other buildings arranged around the courtyard, and gardens outside. The east range was probably added first, and some time after the accession of the 2nd Earl in 1493 the large south range was begun. This building shows the influence of the contemporary works at Stirling Castle, now known as the King's Old Building. It included a state apartment of hall, outer chamber and bedchamber, with large south-facing windows overlooking the gardens and the view across the Devon Valley. The range also provided additional private lodgings, and was accessed via two symmetrically placed stairways facing the courtyard
16th century
In the 16th century, the 4th Earl of Argyll (d.1558) embraced the cause of religious Reformation, and became one of the leading Protestant lords of his day. His family supported the Calvinist preacher John Knox while he was in Scotland in the 1550s. Knox visited Castle Campbell and preached there, some time in 1556. In January 1563 Mary, Queen of Scots, stayed at Castle Campbell on the occasion of the marriage of Margaret, sister to the 5th Earl of Argyll, and James Stewart, Lord Doune. However, on the marriage of Queen Mary and Lord Darnley two years later, Argyll joined other Protestant lords in rebellion. During the Chaseabout Raid which followed, Mary and Darnley received the surrender of Castle Campbell. In the more peaceful 1590s Archibald Campbell, 7th Earl of Argyll, rebuilt the east range of the castle to link the south range with refurbished guest chambers in the tower. The new work consisted of a fine two-arched loggia facing the courtyard, with a façade of polished ashlar masonry above. Behind this were galleries, fashionable additions to the accommodation within the castle, and new stairs to north and south. The east range has been compared to the north courtyard façade at Crichton Castle which was erected around the same time. An inventory of 1595 records the furniture, tapestries, carpets and other items in each room of the castle, including a total of 47 beds.
Destruction and later history
The Earls of Argyll continued to support the Protestant cause, and in the religious conflicts of the mid-17th century Archibald Campbell, 8th Earl of Argyll, became the leader of the Presbyterian Covenanters, in opposition to the leading Royalist James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose. In 1645 Montrose's troops, on their way to the Battle of Kilsyth, laid waste to the lands around Castle Campbell, including Dollar and Muckhart. Many of Montrose's men were MacLeans, long-standing adversaries of the Campbells. The castle itself was undamaged, and no siege was attempted. In response, Argyll ordered the destruction of Menstrie Castle and Airthrie Castle, both seats of Royalists. After the execution of Charles I the Campbells initially supported Charles II, with Argyll placing the crown of Scotland on Charles' head at Scone in 1651. However, Argyll opposed Charles' invasion of England, and in 1652 he submitted to Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth. Cromwell's forces were garrisoned in Castle Campbell in 1653. In July 1654, Royalist rebels attacked and burned Castle Campbell over two nights.
Argyll was executed following the Restoration of 1660 and his son, the 9th Earl, built Argyll's Lodging in Stirling rather than renovate Castle Campbell. Apart from being briefly garrisoned during the Jacobite rising of 1715 the castle was abandoned, and in 1805 the 6th Duke of Argyll sold it to Crawford Tait of Harviestoun, an adjacent estate. In 1859 Harviestoun, and Castle Campbell, was bought by businessman and former Lord Provost of Glasgow Sir Andrew Orr. His son James Orr had excavations carried out at the castle in the 1870s, turning up fragments of stained glass from the windows of the south range.
In 1948 the then-owners of the Harviestoun estate gave Dollar Glen to the National Trust for Scotland, who arranged for the castle to be cared for by the Ministry of Works. Restoration works have included a new roof on the tower, and excavations in the 1980s which revealed charred timbers from the 1654 burning. The castle is now managed by Historic Scotland. [Wikipedia]
This castle is built from small modular pieces that are 4x8 a 8x8 studs. This system was designed to allow even young builders to quickly and easily build, enjoy and then put away the castle they wanted to have that day. This is the Kingdoms Lego Modular Castles System. Please let Lego know you would like to see this as a set by voting for it at ideas.lego.com/projects/116214
Castle Tioram (pronounced "Chee-rum" from Scottish Gaelic "Caisteal Tioram" meaning "dry castle") is a ruined castle that sits on the tidal island Eilean Tioram in Loch Moidart, Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It is located west of Acharacle, approximately 80 km (50 mi) from Fort William. Though hidden from the sea, the castle controls access to Loch Shiel. It is also known to the locals as "Dorlin castle".
I only got 10 minutes of sun that day, fortunately it came out just after I got here.
Upnor Castle is an Elizabethan artillery fort located in the village of Upnor Kent. Its purpose was to defend ships moored "in ordinary" on the River Medway outside Chatham Dockyard.
The property is owned by English Heritage and managed by Medway Council.
Due to its sheltered position, close to London, the River Medway was used to build and repair warships, and to moor them in ordinary, that is with the rigging sails removed. To protect this fleet, Queen Elizabeth and her Privy council ordered in 1559, that a bulwark be built on the river at Upnor in the parish of Frindsbury for the protection of our navy. Six 'indifferent persons' selected a site opposite St Mary's Creek and 6 acres of land was purchased for £25 from Mr Thomas Devinisshe of Frindsbury. The bulwark was designed by Sir Richard Lee, but the building was supervised by Humphrey Locke and Richard Watts. Stage one was finished in 1564. In 1564 twenty three of the Queen largest ships were moored in Bridge Reach.
In 1585, at the instigation of William Bourne the Master Gunner, a chain was laid across the river, as this was more effective than gunfire in sinking enemy ships. The castle however was inadequately manned, and further modifications were planned. In October 1599, Sir John Leveson's estimate for new works was accepted. A timber palisade was placed in the river, the water bastion was raised to a greater height with a parapet of good height and an enclosing ditch 18 ft deep and 32 ft wide dug to protect the castle from the landward side. 612 tons of rag-stone and 223 tons of ashlar was removed from Rochester Castle. Altered in 1625, and again in 1653. In 1623, Upnor had 18 guns of various sizes.
During the Civil War The castle was surrendered to the Parliament in 1642. A Royalist rebellion in 1648 seized the castle. It was returned to the Parliament, and following a visit by General Fairfax (Parliament) further repairs were planned. It was used as a prison
The Dutch Republic during the Second Anglo-Dutch War had suffered a severe setback in the St James's Day Battle in August 1666. Believing the Dutch would therefore be more inclined to remain inactive, Charles II of England delayed the peace negotiations at Breda though he hadn't the money in 1667 to put out a fleet. To the surprise of the Admiralty, in June of that year, a Dutch fleet, under Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, came up the Thames to Gravesend. It turned towards Chatham and burnt down the fort at Sheerness. The chain was in place between Hoo Ness and Gillingham. On the 12 June 1667 either a Dutch ship broke the chain or a landing party cast it loose. The Dutch had been piloted up the channel by disaffected English sailors, and the Dutch Captain of the Marines, Colonel Dolman, was also English. There was limited resistance from Chatham or the dockyard as the workers had not been paid for two years.Mr Wilson reported to Pepys that there were many Englishmen on board the Dutch ships speaking English to one another. HMS Royal Charles was taken to be carried to the Republic and many ships that were lying along the dockyard wall were destroyed, such as the HMS Royal Oak. The Dutch anchored when the tide turned and didn't resume the attack until the next day. The Duke of Albemarle arrived and put an eight gun battery (Middleton's Battery) alongside the castle. Pepys wrote I do not see that Upnor Castle hath received any hurt by them though they played long against it: and they themselves shot till they had hardly a gun left upon the carriages, so badly provided they were. So lack of munitions was Upnor's failing. On the 24 July 1667 a Royal Warrant ordered that Upnor be strengthened. On 14 August 1667 terms were ratified at the Peace of Breda; hostilities ended 26 August 1667.
Pepys, who knew all the principal players wrote a contemporary diary, reading it allows one to feel his frustration at the incompetencies of others and his own ability to ascertain the truth. The King was bankrupt. He was related to the French King. He had opened secret negotiations with France in 1666. He thus issued instructions to lay up his big ships. The Royal Charles was unmanned and the dockyard didn't even have boats to reach her. With that Upnor's career as a castle finished.
In 1668 the defences of Chatham were revised. New batteries were built at Cockham Wood 1-mile seaward of Upnor and at Gillingham. The chain was no longer used. In 1668 it was converted into a place of stores. Hundreds of barrels of gunpowder were shipped here from Tower of London Wharf, later there is mention of barrels of cornpowder being taken from Upnor to the fleet anchored at the Nore. In 1718 barracks were built. Life followed a regular uneventful pattern for the two officers and 64 soldiers. The Magazine closed in 1827 and by 1840 there was no gunpowder left. It became an Ordnance Laboratory. New magazines were built at Chattenden away from the river, and in 1872 a Military railway was laid connecting Chattenden and the river.
In 1891 the Castle was transferred from the War Office to the Admiralty. It continued in service until 1945 when it was declared a museu
This castle was mostly a ruin when John Wesley (later founder of the Methodist church) met Count Zinzensdorf (founder of the Moravian Brotherhood) in July 1738. The castle has since been restored. And yes, the tower is wider at the top than at the bottom (although there might be some perspective effect as well). Located near Marienborn, Germany.
Kilchurn Castle is a ruined 15th century structure on the northeastern end of Loch Awe, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.
It was built in about 1450 by Sir Colin Campbell, first Lord of Glenorchy, as a five storey tower house with a courtyard defended by an outer wall. By about 1500 an additional range and a hall had been added to the south side of the castle. Further buildings went up during the 1500s and 1600s. Kilchurn was on a small island in Loch Awe scarcely larger than the castle itself, although it is now connected to the mainland as the water level was altered in 1817.
Further Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilchurn_Castle
Road trip northwest USA 2016
Day 12 : I woke up very early to photograph the sunrise in Castle Geyser area. It was an incredible one!
Shot with Canon EOS 5D Mk. I + Tamron SP AF Aspherical Di LD IF 17-35 f/2.8-4 (geolocated in Flick'R map)
No graphic content in comments please! Thanks
A trip to beautiful Arundel Castle and photo taken with my Canon DSLR camera from the bridge over the river Arun
Arundel Castle is a restored and remodelled medieval castle in Arundel, West Sussex, England. It was established by Roger de Montgomery in the 11th century. The castle was damaged in the English Civil War and then restored in the 18th and early 19th centuries by Charles Howard, 11th Duke of Norfolk. Further restoration and embellishment was undertaken from the 1890s by Charles Alban Buckler for the 15th Duke.
Since the 11th century, the castle has been the seat of the Earls of Arundel and the Dukes of Norfolk. It is a Grade I listed building.
The original structure was a motte-and-bailey castle. Roger de Montgomery was declared the first Earl of Arundel as the King granted him the property as part of a much larger package of hundreds of manors. Roger, who was a cousin of William the Conqueror, had stayed in Normandy to keep the peace there while William was away in England. He was rewarded for his loyalty with extensive lands in the Welsh Marches and across the country, together with one fifth of Sussex (Arundel Rape). He began work on Arundel Castle in around 1067.
Between 1101 and 1102 the castle was besieged by the forces of Henry I after its holder Robert of Bellême rebelled. The siege ended with the castle surrendering to the king. The castle then passed to Adeliza of Louvain (who had previously been married to Henry I) and her husband William d'Aubigny. Empress Matilda stayed in the castle, in 1139. It then passed down the d'Aubigny line until the death of Hugh d'Aubigny, Earl of Arundel in 1243. John Fitzalan then inherited jure matris the castle and honour of Arundel, by which, according to Henry VI's "admission" of 1433, he was later retrospectively held to have become de jure Earl of Arundel.
The FitzAlan male line ceased on the death of Henry Fitzalan, 12th Earl of Arundel, whose daughter and heiress Mary FitzAlan married Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk in 1555, to whose descendants the castle and earldom passed.
In 1643, during the First English Civil War, the castle was besieged. The 800 royalists inside surrendered after 18 days. Afterwards in 1653 Parliament ordered the slighting of the castle; however "weather probably destroyed more"
Castle Combe has been called 'The Prettiest Village in England' and with good reason. Visitors have been coming to enjoy its charms for at least a century, and the small street leading from the Market Cross down to the By Brook is a picturesque today as is ever was.
By the Middle Ages the village in the valley had become an important centre for the wool industry. The spinsters and weavers lived in the cottages (hence names such as "Weaver’s House") and the river, still known as By Brook, provided the power to run the mills.
In more recent times the village has played host to many filming activities, the most famous of these being ‘Doctor Doolittle’ filmed in and around the village in 1966. More recently the village has had a major role in 'Stardust' and 'The Wolf Man'. The village is also a sanctuary to wildlife as it is a conservation area and enjoys the beauty of nature at its very best.
The village houses are all of typical Cotswold type, constructed in stone with thick walls and roofs made from split natural stone tiles. The properties are many hundreds of years old and are listed as ancient monuments. Strict rules apply to preserve the beauty and character of Castle Combe for later generations to admire.
Castle Combe Village Website.
I made my Castle Peeps purse this weekend! The pattern is the Emma Day Bag by Grand Revival Designs that I won along with the fabric from I have to say.... You can purchase the pattern by itself or as a kit over at her shop, Fresh Squeezed Fabrics!
Overall I am really happy with how it turned out! I was a little unsure about how the fabrics would work on a purse but I am SO glad I went with my gut!!
I talked more about the pattern here on my blog: In Color Order
Baconsthorpe Castle, a moated and fortified 15th century manor house, that are a testament to the rise and fall of a prominent Norfolk family, the Heydons. Over 200 years, successive generations of this ambitious family built, then enlarged, and finally abandoned this castle.
Sir John Heydon probably built the strong inner gatehouse during the turbulent Wars of the Roses period, and his son Sir Henry completed the fortified house. In more peaceful times, their descendants converted part of the property into a textile factory, and then added the turreted Elizabethan outer gateway, inhabited until 1920.
The castle was known to the native Britons as Din Guardi and was the capital of the British kingdom of Bryneich from the realm's foundation in c420 until 547 AD. In that year the citadel was captured by the Anglo-Saxon ruler Ida of Bernicia and became Ida's seat. It was briefly retaken by the Britons from his son Hussa during the war of 590 AD before being relieved later the same year.
His grandson passed it on to his wife Bebba, from whom the early name Bebbanburgh was derived. The Vikings destroyed the original fortification in 993 AD .
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, Earl of Northumberland. 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 an important English outpost, the castle was the target of occasional raids from Scotland. In 1464 during the War of the Roses it became the first castle in England to be defeated by artillery at the end of a nine month siege by Richard Neville, 16th Earl of Warwick. After this time the castle lay in ruins but was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian industrialist William Armstrong who completed the restoration.
More recently, the castle has served as a shooting location for a number of films including Becket (1964) and The Tragedy of Macbeth (1971).