amburgh Castle is located on an outcrop of basalt rock on the Northumbrian coast of northern England. The outcrop of rock forms a long ridge and stands over a hundred feet above the surrounding land overlooking a natural harbour. This location has been chosen as a site that could be defended long before the medieval period. Bamburgh was chosen as the capital of Northumbria, or Bernicia as it was known, one of the seven kingdoms that existed in Saxon times. In Saxon times the castle was called Bebbanburgh after Bedda the wife of Aethelfrith of Bernicia. When Aethelfrith's son Oswald returned from exile on Iona and became King, Christianity arrived in Northumbria and a chapel was built within the confines of the castle. Aidan, a bishop from Iona, was invited to Bamburgh and was given land on the nearby island of Lindisfarne to build a monastery to be seen from the castle.The following centuries saw destruction and reconstruction at the castle due to internal conflicts in Northumbria but also from the Vikings who attacked the north east coast stealing from the vunerable monasteries and murdering the monks. After the Norman Invasion Bamburgh played an important part in protecting England from the Scots and major rebuilding work took place to improve the defences of the castle. In 1164 during the reign of King Henry II a large square Norman keep known as the 'Great Tower' was built at the castle at the cost of four pounds and over the next few centuries the castle was visited by all the English kings.
The War of the Roses saw the end of Bamburgh Castle's power when a siege was ended with the use of cannons, the first English castle to fall in this way. The following centuries saw the decline of the castle's fabric as repair costs grew too much for the private owners to afford. This state of disrepair lasted until 1894 when the castle was bought by Lord Armstrong who began restoration work to convert the remains into a private mansion. The results of his and successors work is what you see today when you visit Bamburgh castle.
