Visit Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh Castle passed into the hands of the First Lord Armstrong, with the intention of creating a respite home but he died before its restoration was complete. It then became the Armstrong family home. It is still owned by the Armstrong Family who have opened it up to visitors and remains to this day an icon of the North East of England.

Cragend Farm was owned by the Armstrong family until 2011 and our link to the history of Bamburgh Castle is visible with the innovative machinery here at the Farm. The village of Bamburgh is a great place to visit when you come and stay at East Cottage or our B&G rooms.

Bamburgh’s written history begins in the times of the Anglo-Saxons but even before this there were people living here, there is archaeological evidence that as early as 10,000 BC there were people here. There are Bronze Age (2,400 -700BC) burials nearby and pottery sherds dating to the Iron Age (700 BC – 43AD). It was during the early medieval period between 411AD and 1066AD that Bamburgh grew in stature and importance. With the arrival of the Saxons, the creation of an important Christian site and the coming and going of the saints Oswald, Aidan and Cuthbert, it was a pivotal time. Following this period was the arrival of the Normans and the construction of the  Great Tower, the then the culmination of the Wars of the Roses with the siege of 1464. Later, the Foster family were gifted the ruins by James 1 with the subsequent acquisition by Lord Crewe. The castle rose again in stature as under the guidance of John Sharpe becaming a leading surgery and dispensary for the poor and sick.