Lindisfarne Castle is located on the Northumbrian island of Lindisfarne. The island is accessible from the mainland at low tide by means of a causeway, which is reached from the nearby village of Beal. Lindisfarne Castle on Lindisfarne. ... For other places with this name, see Northumberland (disambiguation) Northumberland is a ceremonial and administrative county in northern England. ... This article is about Lindisfarne, England. ...

To the south of the present road can be seen a series of wooden stakes driven into the mud which mark an older route to the island. This causeway, known as the Pilgrims Way, was also only accessible at low tide and was used by visitors to the former priory. It is well described by Sir Walter Scott:

For with the flow and ebb, its style

Varies from continent to isle;

Dry shood o'er sands, twice every day,

The pilgrims to the shrine find way;

Twice every day the waves efface

Of staves and sandelled feet the trace.

The modern causeway reaches the island at a point known as the Snook, at the western end of which is a long sandy peninsula.

The castle

The castle is located in what was once the very volatile border area between England and Scotland. Not only did the English and Scots fight, but the area was frequently attacked by Vikings. The castle was built in 1550, around the time that Lindisfarne Priory went out of use, and stones from the priory were used as building material. It is very small by the usual standards, and was more of a fort. The castle sits on the highest point of the island, a whin stone hill called Beblowe. This article is about Lindisfarne, England. ...

Lindisfarne's position in the North Sea made it vulnerable to attack from Scots and Norsemen, and by Tudor times it was clear there was a need for a stronger fortification. This resulted in the creation of the fort on Beblowe Crag which between 1570-2 formed the basis of the present castle.

After Henry VIII had dissolved the priory, his troops used the remains as a naval store. Later, Elizabeth I had work carried out on the fort, strengthening it and providing gun platforms for the new developments in artillery technology. When James VI came to power, he combined the Scotland and English thrones and the need for the castle declined. At this time the castle was still garrisoned from Berwick and protected the small Lindisfarne harbour. Henry VIII (28 June 1491 – 28 January 1547) was King of England and Lord of Ireland (later King of Ireland) from 22 April 1509 until his death. ... James VI and I King of England, Scotland and Ireland James VI of Scotland and I of England (Charles James) (19 June 1566–27 March 1625) was a King who ruled over England, Scotland and Ireland, and was the first Sovereign to reign in the three realms simultaneously. ...

In the eighteenth century the castle was occupied briefly by Jacobite rebels, but was quickly recaptured by soldiers from Berwick who imprisoned the rebels, who dug their way out and hid for nine days close to nearby Bamburgh Castle before making good their escape. Jacobite refers to: A follower of Jacobitism, the political movement dedicated to the return of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England and Scotland A member of the Jacobite Orthodox Church of Syria. ... Bamburgh Castle Bamburgh Castle is an imposing castle located on the coast at Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. ...

In later years the castle was used as a coastguard look-out and became something of a tourist attraction. Charles Rennie Mackintosh made a sketch of the old fort in 1901. Charles Mackintoshs Scotland Street school in Glasgow Charles Rennie Mackintosh (1868 – 1928) was a Scottish architect, designer, and watercolourist who was a designer in the Arts and Crafts movement and also the main exponent of Art Nouveau in Scotland. ...

In 1901, it became the property of Edward Hudson, a publishing magante and the owner of Country Life magazine, and shortly afterwards was refurbished in the Arts and Crafts style by Sir Edwin Lutyens. It is said that Hudson and the architect came across the building while touring Northumberland and climbed over the wall to explore inside. 1901 was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Country Life can refer to: Country Life (magazine) Country Life (album) - by Roxy Music This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Arts and crafts comprise a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with ones own hands and skill. ... Sir Edwin Landseer Lutyens OM (March 29, 1869 - January 1, 1944), was arguably the greatest British architect of the 20th century. ...

The walled garden was created by Lutyens' long-time friend and collaborator, Gertrude Jekyll, some distance away from the castle itself.. The castle, garden and nearby lime kilns have been in the care of the National Trust since 1944 and are open to visitors. Gertrude Jekyll (1843-1932), created over 400 gardens in the UK, Europe and the USA. She contributed over 1,000 articles to Country Life, The Garden and other magazines. ... The standard of the National Trust The National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, usually known as the National Trust, is an organisation which works to preserve and protect coastline, countryside and buildings in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. ...

Inside the castle

The entrance to the castle is quite dramatic and involves a steep climb around the rocky base. Lutyens' original slope was unprotected by either rails or fences in an attempt to emphasise the exposed nature of the site. However, when the future George V and Queen Mary visited in 1908, it is said they were alarmed by the slope and the cobbled surface. 1908 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Once inside the castle, the entrance hall is sectioned off by large stone pillars, somewhat reminiscent of a church nave with the dark reddish-brown of the stone contrasting with the whitewashed plasterwork. The space is completed by a bare stone floor.

The kitchen is almost as bare, and is dominated by a large stone fireplace. Here, as at Castle Drogo, Lutyens uses the space in interesting ways. Throughout the castle, he has used stone, brick, slate and wood to create simple forms, and uses textures to deomonstrate a rustic, spartan life-style. Despite being a castle it remains a homely space where the human scale is room size, but with incongruous architectural elements. In the scullery ithere is a tiny window over a stone sink surrounded by the mechanism used to operate the portcullis. Castle Drogo is a country house in Drewsteignton, Devon, England. ...

After descending to the dining room one is inside the remnants of the Tudor fort. The vaults here and in the adjacent ship room are entirely functional as they support the gun battery above. The wide chimney-piece contains an old bread-oven; here Lutyens has emphasised the age of the room with neogothic traceried windows framed by curtains which swing out to lie flat along the wall. One of the end walls is painted a rich Prussian blue, which contrasts with the herring-bone patterned red-brick floor.

Next door is the ship room where a green wall fulfils a similar role. The furniture is in keeping, with much dark wood in the tables and cabinets. The few upholstered chairs and sofas have now faded to gentle tones.

The largest bedroom, the east, is bright and airy and again has curtains on pull-out poles. The long gallery was a new space created by Lutyens, intended to echo the grand galleries of Elizabethan and Jacobean houses. The scale is much smaller, but again the use of exposed stone arches and oak beams provides a grand yet rustic feel.

Further on, an upper gallery has a raised platform at one end. From here an oak door leads onto the upper battery with its spectacular views along the coastline.

Download high resolution version (1492x136, 36 KB)Lindisfarne - Northumberland - by & copyright ~~~ - 1st July 2004 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...

External links

• Lindisfarne Castle at the National Trust
• Location Map
• grid reference NU1343