Norham Castle

Norham Castle stands on a rise above the River Tweed, a mile north of the village of Norham in Northumberland. The stone fortress was begun in 1121 by Ranulf Flambard, Bishop of Durham, to guard the bishop’s lands from Scottish raids. Its thick walls and commanding position made it one of the most important border strongholds for centuries. The castle passed between English kings and Durham bishops as wars flared and treaties shifted. By the 15th century it was a royal garrison during the Wars of the Roses, changing hands between Yorkists and Lancastrians. The castle’s long military story includes famous sieges and visits by kings. David I of Scotland took it in 1136, and Edward I stayed there in 1292 when John Balliol did homage. Robert the Bruce besieged it for nearly a year in 1318, yet the defenders held firm under Sir Thomas Grey. James IV of Scotland pounded the outer walls with artillery in 1513, using a giant cannon called Mons Meg, before his defeat at Flodden weeks later. These events show how Norham shaped the border’s fate. Visitors today walk along grassy ramparts that once bristled with bowmen and guns. The great keep still rises above the inner ward, its lower courses showing walls nearly nine metres thick. Outside the gatehouse, the outer ward slopes down to the river, where the Tweed winds between England and Scotland. The ruins include a hall, chapel and kitchen, their stonework scarred by shot and time. From the battlements there are wide views over farmland and the distant Cheviot Hills, a quiet reminder of the castle’s stormy past.