Norham Castle

En un regard

Le château en bref

Perched on an escarpment overlooking the Tweed, right on the Scottish border, Norham Castle was one of the most fiercely contested strongholds in England. Founded in 1121 by the prince-bishops of Durham to hold the ford and the territory of Norhamshire, it suffered a long series of Scottish sieges over the centuries, which earned it the reputation of being the most exposed fortress on the border. The present ruins combine an imposing 12th-century rectangular keep, heightened in the 15th century, with an inner ward on a natural mound and a vast crescent-shaped outer ward, surrounded by deep ditches. The West Gate (known as Marmion's Gate) and the Sheep Gate, as well as the bastions modified for artillery in the 16th century, tell of the site's adaptation to firearms after the disaster of 1513. Norham was also a place of diplomacy: in 1291 Edward I gathered his advisers here to arbitrate the succession to the throne of Scotland. A Scheduled Monument and Grade I listed, the site has been in State guardianship since 1923 and is opened free of charge by English Heritage; some parts (Marmion's Gate, the keep) may be closed during conservation work.