Aydon Castle

Aydon Castle stands on a quiet rise near Corbridge in Northumberland. Built in the late 13th century as a timber hall, it became a stone manor under Robert de Raymes after 1296. The first stone buildings were domestic, with a two-storey hall range added soon after. In 1305 the site gained licence to crenellate, adding battlements that soon proved necessary. By 1311 repeated raids by Scottish border reivers forced the family to fortify the walls. The castle’s fortunes changed after the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Scottish forces captured Aydon in 1315, burning and looting it before English raiders finished the damage in 1317. Robert de Raymes, captured and ruined, died in 1324. His son rebuilt the defences, but by the 15th century the estate had passed through several owners. From the 17th century it served as a farmhouse until opening to visitors in 1966. Visitors now walk through the restored fortified manor. The two-storey hall range still shows its original stonework. The battlements and small turrets mark the licence to crenellate granted in 1305. The surrounding farmland offers long views across Northumberland. The site is cared for by English Heritage and remains a clear example of a late-medieval fortified house.