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 surrendered. 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.