Bothal Castle

Bothal Castle stands in the small village of Bothal, Northumberland, on the banks of the River Wansbeck between Morpeth and Ashington. Its name derives from the Old English 'botl', meaning a special dwelling or manor, and the site was already fortified before the Norman Conquest of 1066. After the Conquest it passed into Norman hands and was rebuilt and renovated several times over the medieval centuries, with its gatehouse surviving as the most prominent remnant. Designated both a Scheduled Monument and a Grade I listed building by English Heritage, it carries the highest levels of historic protection available in England. Today it offers a quietly atmospheric, off-the-beaten-path encounter with pre-Conquest and medieval English history.