What is recorded here

Bamburgh Castle has stood on a basalt outcrop above the Northumberland coast since 547 AD, when king Ida made it the capital of Bernicia. The rock rises sixty metres above the sea, forcing every ruler to recognise that controlling the cliff means controlling the coast. Queen Bebba gave the place a name that survived her kingdom, Viking raids, and even artillery fire in 1464. William Armstrong restored it in 1894, and the Armstrong family still owns it, keeping alive a site where geography repeatedly refused to let go.

Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Bamburgh Castle as Castle (medieval). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 10m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.

Bamburgh Castle was originally built by the Anglo-Saxon kings of Northumbria in the 6th or 7th century and later held by the Normans. It is important as a historic stronghold with a long and continuous history, associated with both early English Christianity and medieval military conflict.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.