 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. |
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Norham
Castle
