Warkworth Castle

Warkworth Castle in Northumberland is one of the most impressive and well-preserved medieval castle complexes in the north of England, associated above all with the Percy family, Earls of Northumberland, who dominated the politics and military life of the north for centuries. The castle rises dramatically above the town of Warkworth on a promontory formed by a bend in the River Coquet, its great keep visible for miles across the Northumberland coastal plain.

The site has been occupied since at least the twelfth century, and the castle was granted to the Percy family in 1332 by Edward III in recognition of their military services. Under the Percys, Warkworth was transformed into one of the most formidable military and domestic complexes of the north, with a remarkable cross-shaped tower keep that remains one of the finest examples of late medieval castle architecture in England. The castle was the principal Northumberland seat of the Percys for over a century and features prominently in Shakespeare's Henry IV Parts I and II, where Hotspur (Sir Henry Percy) is associated with the castle.

A short distance upstream from the castle, carved directly into the cliff face of the river gorge, is the Warkworth Hermitage — one of the most extraordinary survivals of medieval religious architecture in England. This small complex of rooms — a chapel, a sacristy, and a living chamber — was entirely cut from the living sandstone rock in the early fourteenth century and retains carved details of remarkable delicacy. The hermitage is accessible by rowing boat (or on foot when conditions permit), adding a sense of adventure to what is already a unique historic experience.

Both castle and hermitage are managed by English Heritage.