Château de Bamburgh

Le château de Bamburgh (/ˈbæmbrə/) est situé dans le comté de Northumberland, en Angleterre, sur la côte de la mer du Nord, près du village de Bamburgh.

Nearby Places View Menu

Bamburgh Castle

Bamburgh Castle, on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland, is a Grade I listed building. The site was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as Din Guarie and may have been the capital of the kingdom of Bernicia from its foundation c. 420 to 547. In that last year, it was captured by King Ida of Bernicia. After passing between the Britons and the Anglo-Saxons three times, the fort came under Anglo-Saxon control in 590. The Normans later built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one. After a revolt in 1095 supported by the castle's owner, it became the property of the English monarch. In the 17th century, financial difficulties led to the castle deteriorating, but it was restored by various owners during the 18th and 19th centuries. It was finally bought by the Victorian era industrialist William Armstrong, who completed its restoration. The castle is open to the public and owned by Francis Watson-Armstrong who is the son of the 3rd Baron Armstrong.

Castle Historic Site

132 m

Bamburgh Sword

The Bamburgh Sword is an Anglo-Saxon artefact from the seventh century. It was uncovered during an archaeological excavation at Bamburgh Castle in 1960 by Brian Hope-Taylor. The sword was missing until his death in 2001, when it was found in a suitcase in his garage. It is unique amongst swords of its period, having been formed by six strands of iron pattern welded into a blade, resulting in speculation that it may have been the sword of a king.

Castle Landmark

Bamburgh Dunes

Bamburgh Dunes are a region of coastal sand dunes with an area of over 40 hectares situated around the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. The dunes, which stand in the shadow of the impressive Bamburgh Castle, have been a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) since 1995 and are part of the North Northumberland Dunes Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The dunes have a rich diversity of flora and fauna and in places provide good examples of “climbing dunes” found where sand has been blown onto high ground adjacent to the beach. Bamburgh Dunes vary from open sandy beaches, through low ridges dominated by marram grass, to more stable grass-covered dunes. These occur as a series of irregular parallel sand ridges and hummocks separated by hollows, which are seasonally wet. Some of the plant species include the pyramidal orchid, Centaurium, sea sandwort and petalwort (which is on the List of endangered species in the British Isles). The dunes are also rich in rare insect life. Over 500 species have been identified, with 15 rare species that include a plant hopper (Dicranotropis divergens), a grass-mining fly (Opomyza punctata), and a shore fly (Psilopa marginella). Birds attracted to the dunes include grasshopper warbler, sedge warbler, European stonechat, meadow pipit and reed bunting. In winter, short-eared owl and water rail are also found. Over the years more vigorous invasive plant species and scrub have encroached, making the dune system too stabilised and threatening the uniqueness of Bamburgh Dunes, as most rare plant species appreciate the unstable and shifting structure of sand dunes. In an effort to counteract this, Bamburgh Castle Estate, English Nature, DEFRA, Northumberland County Council and Bamburgh Parish Council have come up with a plan of management which has resulted in cattle being allowed to graze the dunes since 2000 to break up the dominant grass cover. A fence has been erected to contain the cattle within the dunes. Access by people is encouraged within the fenced area with stiles and gates sited on the main paths. An ancient Anglo-Saxon 7th century burial ground was unearthed in the dunes to the southeast of Bamburgh Castle during an archaeological dig in 1998 by the Bamburgh Research Project. The burial ground, called the Bowl Hole, had been known to exist since 1816 when violent storms removed large amounts of dune sand and uncovered the site for a period. The BBC television programme “Meet the Ancestors” became involved during the dig and screened a programme about the finds in February 2001.

Beach Landmark

St Aidan's Church, Bamburgh

St Aidan's Church is a Grade I listed Church of England building in the Diocese of Newcastle.

Church

Bamburgh Castle Lifeboat Station

Bamburgh Castle Lifeboat Station was located on The Wynding in Bamburgh, a village noted as the site of Bamburgh Castle, and also the burial place of Grace Darling, situated approximately 18 miles (29 km) south-east of Berwick-upon-Tweed, in the county of Northumberland. A lifeboat was first placed at Bamburgh Castle by Lionel Lukin in 1786, and managed by the Crewe Trustees until 1824. A lifeboat station operated by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) was established in 1882. After operating for just 15 years, Bamburgh Castle Lifeboat Station closed in 1897.

Historic Site Landmark