Warkworth Castle. Photo by Northumberland County Council.


Warkworth Castle (Copyright © Don Brownlow)

The earliest castle at Warkworth was an 11th century motte and bailey, though very few remains of this early work can be seen. In the mid-12th century a stone wall was built around the site. A new stone hall was also built, and in the late 12th or early 13th century the timber keep was replaced by a masonry keep. Only the remains of this stone tower can be seen. This was replaced in the early 15th century by a second stone tower, which can still be seen. This stone tower was repaired by the fourth Duke of Northumberland, between 1853 and 1858. It has a dungeon in the basement. On the first floor there is a hall, a chapel, a kitchen and its walls contain cupboards and ventilation shafts. The second floor also has several domestic rooms. Rising high above the second floor, at the centre of the keep, is the Lookout Turret, which contains three further rooms. To the south of the keep, on the opposite side of the ditch between the motte and bailey, are the foundations of an early 15th century church. The upper part of the church was never built, though cellars under it were used as storerooms. The castle was occupied until the 1570s. Building material was stolen from the site in the 16th and 17th centuries, and the castle remained uncared for, until the mid-19th century, when the Duke of Northumberland repaired it. It was one of the strongest castles in the north of England. It is a Grade I Listed Building and a Scheduled Monument protected by law.