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Set, on a picturesque promontary in a curve of the River Tweed, Norham was one of the strongest of the border castles. Built in the latter half of the 12th century, it came under siege on several occasions during its 400 year history as a military stonghold. Its massive walls proved impenetrable during many of these attacks but when, in 1513, it was stormed by James IV, norham fell and was largely destroyed.
The glory of the castle is the Great Tower, which shows signs of four building phases spanning the 12th to the 16th centuries. After the siege of 1513, extensive repairs were made to the castle and the Great Tower was re-roofed. Much of the castle that can be seen today dates from this time.
Following the union of the English and Scottish crowns in 1603, the Tweed ceased to exist as a frontier, and Norham Castle became redundant as a defensive stronghold.
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Norham Castle
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'The most dangerous place in England':
This is how Sir Walter Scott describes Norham Castle in his poem 'Marmion' which relates the chivalrous devotions of a 14th-century knight.
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Norham Castle
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