Aydon Castle is 42 miles east of
Carlisle, 18 miles west of
Newcastle, 3 miles north of the
town of Corbridge in northern
England.
The Castle is normally visited by
people also visiting Hadrian's Wall, as it is about
3 miles northeast of Corbridge Roman Town. The
Castle is run by English Heritage with a
small entrance fee.
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Area Attractions Click on
Map.
The image top is from the walk up to the
Castle from the Car Park.
The second image is from inside the
fortified walls of Aydon Castle, with the
visitor centre on the left, and farm buildings
from the 1700s on the right.
The third image is of Aydon Castle from the
Orchard Gardens.
This is claimed to be one of the finest
examples of a 1200s English manor house with
the earliest parts built for Hugh de Reymes in
1296.
The house had to be fortified in 1305, after
the Wars of Scottish Independence, 1296–1328,
led to the Scots gradually taking control of
Scotland, then began raiding Northern
England.
The son Robert de Reymes, had fought for the
English in Scotland at the Battle of Falkirk in
1298, where William Wallace was defeated by
Edward I.
The Castle was captured and set on fire by
the Scottish forces of Robert the Bruce in
1315, then attacked by English raiders two
years later, looking to take any valuables from
the Castle.
Aydon Castle was again captured by the
Scottish in 1346, this time by the forces of
Robert the Bruce's son David II, during the
second War of Scottish Independence,
1332–1357.
The Castle was used as a Farmhouse from the
1700s with farm buildings erected within the
outer defensive walls.
The last residence left in 1966, leading to
the building being restored to its Medieval
origins to serve as a tourist attraction.
The bottom images are of the interior of
Aydon Castle. There are a number of rooms to
explore, giving a good sense of what life was
like for the wealthy many centuries back.
The Great Hall would have been where the
owners would entertain other wealthy
guests.
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