Ford Castle - Izeria

Ford Castle is a Grade I listed building situated at a shallow crossing point on the River Till, Ford, Northumberland, England.

1. History

The castle dates from about 1278. The owner Sir William Heron was granted a licence to crenellate the castle in 1338. It was captured by the Scots in 1385 and dismantled by them. However, by the beginning of the 16th century, it had been rebuilt and refortified. It was taken by James IV of Scotland on the eve of the Battle of Flodden in 1513. The castle passed from the Heron family to the Carr family by marriage in 1549, by the marriage of Elizabeth Heron to Thomas Carr of Etal. In that year, during the war with Scotland known as the Rough Wooing, a French soldier André de Montalembert besieged the castle. The Heron family disputed Carr's ownership and seized the castle for time in March 1557. In August 1557, the castle was attacked by Lord James and Robert Stewart (sons of James V) and Lord Home who brought artillery and burnt farmhouses in the "ten towns of Glendale". The castle and lands passed by marriage passed to Sir Francis Blake of Cogges, Oxfordshire in the 1660s. Blake built a substantial mansion in Tudor style within the castle in 1694. On Blake's death in 1717 the Ford estate passed to the husband of his late daughter Mary and then in 1723 to her son Francis Blake Delaval (1692–1752). In 1761 John Delaval, 1st Baron Delaval (1728–1808) rebuilt the Hall with the assistance of architect George Raffield in a Gothic style.

On his death, the property passed to his granddaughter Susannah who had married the Marquess of Waterford. In 1862 Louisa, Dowager Marchioness of Waterford (d 1891), widow of the 3rd Marquess, restored and substantially remodelled the Hall. The castle was acquired in 1907 by the coal-mining magnate James Joicey, 1st Baron Joicey, and it stayed with his family, in 1956 it was leased to Northumberland County Council as a Young Persons' Residential Centre. In 2022, Ford Castle was acquired by PGL, which now operates the site as an outdoor activity centre offering residential trips for schools, groups, and young people. As of 2025 during the out-of-season period (November to March 31), the site offers a range of activities and events, with some shops and cafés operating on special seasonal hours.

1. References

Ford Castle 1 Fry, Plantagenet Somerset, The David & Charles Book of Castles, David & Charles, 1980. ISBN 0-7153-7976-3

Nearby Places View Menu

Lady Waterford Hall

Lady Waterford Hall is the former village school of the estate village of Ford, Northumberland. It is now used as the village hall and is a Grade II* listed building. The hall was built as a school in 1860 by Louisa Beresford, Marchioness of Waterford, who inherited the village after the death of her husband. It is constructed in a Tudor style of stone with a slate roof. The 9-bay roof is supported by scissor braces. The interior walls are decorated throughout with murals on biblical themes painted by Lady Louisa herself, a gifted amateur artist, using the schoolchildren and local villagers as models. They were painted over a 20-year period on paper and affixed to the walls. At the east end is a large "Jesus in the midst of the doctors" and at the west end a large "Suffer little children to come unto me". It was used as a school until 1957 and at its peak housed 134 children. Now used as a village hall, it is available for hire, but otherwise open to view from 10.30 a.m.

Art Historic Site

Ford, Northumberland

Ford is a small village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, about 13 miles (21 km) from Berwick-upon-Tweed. The parish also includes Etal.

Neighbourhood

Heatherslaw Mill

Heatherslaw Mill is a water mill situated on the Ford and Etal Estate, 7 miles north of the town of Wooler in the English county of Northumberland. It is a restored 19th century water driven cornmill. Traditional methods and original machinery powered by the River Till are used to grind locally grown wheat into wholemeal flour. Its huge water wheel, mill stones and gearing are all visible. Freshly milled flour and local "Berwick Biscuits" are on sale in its gift shop whilst the mill cafe serves country fare.

Historic Site Landmark

1.6 km

Ford Forge

Ford Forge (Ford Mill), Northumberland, England is located on the River Till between the villages of Ford and Etal. Buildings housing a water-powered forge were constructed at this site by 1770. Throughout the nineteenth century the forge was used to manufacture shovels for Northumberland collieries. William Hutchinson, a contemporary author writing about Sir John Hussey Delaval's Ford estate which included Ford Forge, commented as follows. About a mile down the river, a Plating Forge was erected in 1769, where a large quantity of shovels, spades and other plate-iron works are made, as well for home consumption, as for exportation at the ports of Berwick, Newcastle, etc. The scheme, when carried to its intended extent, will be of great consequence to this part of the country. (from SINE project)

Historic Site Landmark