Langley Castle

Langley Castle stands in the valley of the River South Tyne, three miles south of Haydon Bridge in Northumberland. It is a restored medieval tower house built in 1364 with an unusual H-shaped plan and four corner towers. The castle rises four storeys high and has thick walls founded on massive boulders. After a fire in 1405 left it in ruins for five centuries, it was rebuilt in 1914. Today it operates as a hotel within a 10-acre woodland estate. The castle’s history traces back to the 12th century when Adam de Tindal owned the land. Ownership passed through generations of the de Lucy and Radclyffe families, including Sir Francis Radclyffe who became Earl of Derwentwater. James Radclyffe, grandson of a king’s illegitimate daughter, joined the Jacobite Rebellion and was executed in 1714. The castle was restored by historian Cadwallader Bates and his wife Josephine after decades of decay. Visitors find a quadrangular pele-like structure with a central hall and spiral staircases rising through each floor. The east wall still shows the original portcullis slot and roof boss, while the chapel now serves as the Cadwallader Bates Memorial Room. The south-west tower contains twelve garderobes, rare for their pointed arches and medieval design. Large windows added in the 20th century let light into rooms built on solid rock foundations.