Aydon Castle
Well Preserved Fortified Medieval Manor House in England

Aydon Castle is a fortified manor house. Almost completely intact, it is one of the finest and most unaltered examples of a 13th-century English manor house. Set in a secluded Northumberland woodland. It was originally built as an undefended residence, but almost immediately fortified on the outbreak of Anglo-Scottish wars. It was pillaged and burnt by the Scots in 1315, seized by English rebels two years later, and again occupied by Scots in 1346.

The earliest stone buildings are the hall, chamber block and the garderobe; dateable to between 1280 and 1300.. Over the centuries the manor house had numerous owners, many of whom lived elsewhere and leased the property to tenants. As a result the manor was left largely unchanged. The only significant modifications were made during a mid 16th century renovation, and a mid 17th century conversion to a farm.

It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument and a Grade I listed building open to the public.

Aydon Castle lies one mile from the village of Corbridge, Northumberland, England, north-west of the village centre, north of the A69. 5 miles north-east of Hexham, on the A69-B6321. There is a car park.

The site is owned by English Heritage and is open, Thursday to Monday April to September 10:00-5:00pm.

Documentary evidence shows that a timber hall first existed on this site. This was replaced by the present manor house, built by Robert de Reymes, a wealthy Suffolk merchant, starting in 1296 AD, adjacent to the steep valley of the Cor Burn.

At this time the house consisted of a two-storeyed home with a solar, dining hall and kitchen on the upper floor.

In 1305 Robert obtained a licence from King Edward I to crenel late his property allowing him to build battlements and curtain walls enclosing the buildings within an inner courtyard. Parapets were added to the domestic buildings and the inner courtyard wall.

An outer curtain wall with a plain arched gateway was added and the open side is flanked by a rectangular tower and 14th century D-shaped angle tower.

The two storey hall block and kitchen wing with an embattled curtain wall make an inner courtyard, with the remnants of a middle courtyard to the west.

Because the curtain wall appears never to have been a strong defensive line and because there was no gatehouse at the castle entrance, it was rapidly surrendered to the Scots in 1315. and again in 1346.

The medieval defensive ditch outside the north west curtain wall is included within the scheduling, together with the buried remains of a timber-framed hall which preceded the construction of the fortified house.

In the middle of the 16th century it was renovated. The eastern part of the outer courtyard was divided off to create an orchard around this time and in the middle of 17th century the building was converted into a farm. It remained in use as a farm until 1966 but has since been restored to its medieval appearance.

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