Newcastle upon Tyne Castle

Newcastle Castle stands in the centre of Newcastle upon Tyne on the site of a Roman fort called Pons Aelius. The Romans built a bridge over the Tyne here in the 2nd century and guarded it with a fort on a rocky outcrop. Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror, replaced the fort with a wooden castle in 1080. Henry II later built the stone Castle Keep between 1172 and 1177, and Henry III added the Black Gate between 1247 and 1250. The Keep and Black Gate pre-date the town walls and now form one visitor attraction. The Castle Keep is a Grade I listed building and scheduled monument. It replaced an earlier wooden motte-and-bailey castle built by Robert Curthose after his campaign against Malcolm III of Scotland. The Black Gate served as a fortified gateway with two towers, vaulted guardrooms and portcullis. During the English Civil War the castle was repaired and besieged for three months before surrendering in 1644. Visitors enter the Castle Keep by climbing stairs to the second floor and the Great Hall, the largest room inside. The Black Gate is approached across a wooden bridge over a moat, with the remains of the original portcullis still visible. The site lies east of Newcastle station, separated from the Keep by a railway viaduct carrying the East Coast Main Line. The Keep and Black Gate are managed together as Newcastle Castle, offering views of the surrounding city and river.