Northumberland is home to approximately 70 castles, each retaining a dramatic sense of the history that accompanies this part of the land. In the north of the country are perhaps the 3 most famous. There’s Bamburgh Castle, completely remodelled and rebuilt by Victorian entrepreneur Lord Armstrong; Dunstanburgh Castle, a fortress built in the 14th Century and Alnwick Castle dominating the town and perhaps most recognisable from its starring role as Hogwarts in the Harry Potter series of films.

Scenes from Harry Potter were filmed just up the road at Alnwick Castle, of course… but we like to think that the trend was started a very long time ago, here in Warkworth when William Shakespeare set scenes from Henry IV Part One in Warkworth Castle. Warkworth Castle and The Hermitage, the imposing, cross-shaped keep of Warkworth Castle, rises steeply above the River Coquet, crowning one of the largest, strongest & most impressive fortresses in Northern England.

The lion badge of the Castle’s most famous owners – the Percy Family – adorns the stronghold. Their imperial power culminated under the Earl of Northumberland and his son ‘Harry Hotspur’, hero of many Border Battles and Ballads and a dominant character in Shakespeare’s Henry IV. Having helped to depose Richard II, these turbulent ‘kingmakers’ both fell victim to Henry IV: the next three Percy Earls likewise died violent deaths.