11. Bamburgh		Back to

Bamburgh to Belford

Bamburgh is a quaint village stretching up the hill from the massively imposing castle. It is also the ancient capital of Northumbria, settled by the Saxon monarch Ida, the 5th century founder of the kingdom. It was once known as `Bebbanburgh', after Bebba, the wife of Ida's grandson.

Christianity came in the 7th century, and in 635AD King Oswald and St Aidan built the kingdom's first church, probably on the site of the 800 year-old church which still stands in Bamburgh. It was here that he died in 651.

The castle itself, perched on a basalt outcrop on the edge of the North Sea, was frequently razed by Vikings. Rebuilt in the 11th century, it was significantly reconstructed in 1272. It subsequently fell into disrepair. In 1704 Lord Crewe, the last of the Prince Bishops of Durham, bought the castle and founded a charity school for girls. It must have been a cold and windy establishment, a breeder of tough women. Financial difficulties led to it being sold as a private home in 1894 to William, 1st Lord Armstrong, who restored it to its present magnificence. The Armstrong family is still in residence. It is open to visitors from April to October.

Grace Darling, Northumberland's most famous heroine, is buried in Bamburgh, in the grounds of St Aidan's Church. She kept the Longstone Lighthouse on the Farne Islands, and is remembered for rowing into a foul storm to rescue passengers on a rock-impaled Dundee-bound steamship, the Forfarshire, in 1838. There is a museum in her honour in the centre of the village, opposite her grave.

On a different note, there is an excellent deli on the main street - an ideal place to get your packed lunch made up or to stop off for a quick bite while you admire the castle and the wonderful beach. The Pantry at 13 Front St, run by Jenny Spruce (01668 214455) specialises in home-made and local produce, great sandwiches etc.