Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland

A visit to Dunstanburgh Castle, in Northumberland, is not something to fill in the odd half-hour, partly because no road comes within a mile and a half of it. The only way to get there is to walk! So give yourself plenty of time, preferably on a day with good weather, and appreciate the dramatic coastal scenery as well as the looming castle walls as you approach, whether from the north or the south.

Dunstanburgh Castle stands on a headland overlooking the North Sea, which crashes against the rocks below when the tide is high and the wind strong from the east. The cries of gulls and other seabirds add to the drama of what will be a memorable visit to this ancient ruin.

History of the castle

The original builder and owner was Thomas, Earl of Lancaster, who was one of the barons who opposed King Edward II, the weak and despotic son of Edward I who paid more attention to his unworthy favourites than to those with real knowledge of how to rule in the 14^th century.

Lancaster, who was a cousin of the king, decided to build a castle partly to demonstrate his power in the north, partly to provide a refuge should he need to defend himself against the king whom he had offended, and partly for defence against the Scots, who were constantly threatening to invade from the north.

The building of Dunstanburgh Castle began in 1313, and was largely finished, as originally conceived, when Lancaster was eventually captured and executed in 1322 after an abortive rebellion against Edward. He had been trying to reach Dunstanburgh when he was intercepted. The huge size of the castle, the curtain walls of which enclose an area of eleven acres, is testament to its purpose as somewhere to which large numbers of people, complete with livestock, could retreat if danger threatened.

After Lancaster’s death, the castle eventually became owned by John of Gaunt, a grandson of Edward II who acquired the title of Duke of Lancaster through his first wife. Gaunt was concerned that the defences at Dunstanburgh were insufficient, and therefore made many alterations in the 1370s and 1380s. These were called into use during the Wars of the Roses in the 1460s, when the castle fell to the Yorkists due to the garrison being starved out, but after that there was little military need for Dunstanburgh to be maintained, and much of the fabric fell into disrepair over the following centuries.

What you can see

The first thing seen by the visitor who approaches from the south is the massive gatehouse that dates from the original building by Thomas of Lancaster. One of Thomas’s aims was to show that his power and wealth were equal to that of the king, and this gatehouse was every bit as impressive as that of Edward I’s castles in Wales, such as Harlech. Either side of the gateway itself is a huge D-shaped building that would originally have been four storeys high, with the upper floors connecting across the castle entrance. Above these, free-standing towers would have risen for another two storeys, surmounted by turrets. The remaining stonework stands jagged against the skyline to a considerable height.

Today’s visitors can see the rooms at ground and first-floor level, and go up the spiral stairs as far as where the second floor would have been. These rooms would have had dual purposes as both military and domestic chambers, as this is the only really substantial building in the original design.

John of Gaunt clearly took the view that this dual use was unsatisfactory, and built a new gatehouse to the west of Thomas’s gatehouse, as well as building internal walls that created an inner ward, thus giving Dunstanburgh something of the look of a standard medieval castle. However, the workmanship and materials of this later work were clearly inferior to the original building, because little remains of it today. Indeed, the new gatehouse was reported to be on the point of collapse as early as 1431.

There are several other towers at various positions around the long curtain wall, built both for defence and as accommodation for soldiers. At the north-west corner is the square Lilburn Tower, the turrets of which reach 60 feet in height.

On the seaward side, the defence of the castle relied more on natural features than man-made walls. There were originally walls that have long disappeared on the north side, these probably being for the purpose of protecting livestock rather than for defence, as the 100-foot cliff would have made attack impossible.

In the south-east corner, the Egyncleugh Tower commands a ravine which provided sea access to the castle for small boats, if the weather was calm. Although there is evidence of a watergate, the main function seems to have been similar to that of the Lilburn Tower, namely to provide accommodation for the garrison.

The wall leading back to the gatehouse was clearly where any attack could be expected, because you can see the remains of a small turret, plus a more substantial tower, that would have been used to guard this stretch.

The tower is known as the Constable’s Tower, as this was the home of the castle’s chief officer, responsible for the defence of the castle and also for managing the lands beyond, the rents of which would have paid for its upkeep in return for the defence it offered to everyone in the surrounding area.

As well as the tower, which juts to the outside of the curtain wall, you can see the outlines of walls on the inside, which would have belonged to buildings that were part of the constable’s suite of rooms.

If you have walked round the whole circuit of walls you will have had a decent walk, given the huge area that they encircle. Recent investigations have uncovered evidence of other buildings, but we can assume that much of the area would have been left empty for livestock to graze, or for people to erect temporary buildings or tents. You can imagine how differently the castle would have appeared at a time of danger, with hundreds of people and animals there, as opposed to when the locals felt safe to manage their farms without being threatened by the Scots.

You can also imagine how the castle would have looked with the curtain wall as its full height, soldiers patrolling the walkway across the top and lookouts posted on top of every turret. As with any visit to a ruined castle, the imagination gets as much exercise as the body!

Dunstanburgh Castle is under the care of English Heritage, and may be visited free of charge by English Heritage members. The castle is open every day of the week from April to October, but is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between November and March. From April to September the opening hours are 10am to 5pm, but only to 4pm from October to March.

As mentioned above, the castle is remote and inaccessible by road. It is probably not therefore the best place to take young children, unless you are prepared to carry them for three miles or wheel a pushchair along a rough track! However, if you have the time and the energy, Dunstanburgh is well worth a visit.

© John Welford