HISTORIC VILLAGES: WARKWORTH

This ancient Northumberland village is home to one of the best-preserved Norman castles in Britain, says Anthony Toole

© GRAEME PEACOCK/PETER ATKINSON/ALAMY/HISTORIC ENGLAND.ENGLISH HERITAGE TRUST/BRIAN MORRIS Clockwise, from left: An aerial view of Warkworth village and Warkworth Castle with the River Coquet running by; Warkworth village has an abundance of shops, cafés and galleries to explore and enjoy; Warkworth Castle as it currently stands was built by the Percy family, one of the most powerful families in northern England during the Middle Ages

Amedieval village enclosed within a half-mile loop of the River Coquet, Warkworth is dominated by the Norman castle that stands on a hill to the south.

Proximity to the Scottish border and the influence of powerful families have ensured it a rich history of wars, rebellions, and even a place in Shakespearean drama.

Human occupation here dates from Neolithic times. Cup-and-ring carvings can be seen on the crags above the riverbank. In AD737, a wooden church was built on the site of the present St Lawrence’s Church at the northern end of the village. The Anglo-Saxon King Ceolwulf of Northumbria gifted the church and village, Wercewode, to the monks of Lindisfarne. The church was destroyed during a Danish Viking raid in AD875 and rebuilt in stone.

Piecemeal construction of the present church began in 1174, with the west tower added in 1200, the belfry and spire in the 14th century, and the south aisle and entrance porch a century later. Medieval glass can still be seen in the east window.

In 1174, King William the Lion of Scotland burned the village and killed the 300 inhabitants who had sought refuge in the church. During the 1715 Jacobite rising, Scottish forces occupied Warkworth and, following prayers in the church, proclaimed the Old Pretender, James Edward Stuart, King James III of England.

The first castle was built, probably of wood, during the 12th century, when King Henry II granted the region to Roger fitz Eustace. At the beginning of the 14th century, Warkworth was acquired by the Percy family, who dominated Northumbrian history for the next five hundred years.

This was a period of political turbulence, starting with the Anglo-Scottish wars of Edward I and continuing through the Wars of the Roses. Sometimes, the Percys fought on the winning side, sometimes they supported the losers, with predictable consequences.

Local hero

Henry Percy, nicknamed Hotspur, together with his father, also Henry, the First Earl of Northumberland, were instrumental in deposing Richard II and installing Henry IV on the throne. Hotspur earned his nickname because of the speed with which he harried his enemies in battle.

He lost the Battle of Otterburn, against a Scottish army in 1388 and was taken prisoner and held for ransom. He defeated the Scots at Humbleton (Homildon) Hill in 1402 but was killed a year later at the Battle of Shrewsbury after he and his father rebelled against Henry IV. By losing this battle, the Percys forfeited Warkworth, though it was later restored to the family.

Photo opportunity

There are impressive views of the English Heritage castle from the riverbanks to the east and west of Warkworth, and from the village itself. Opportunities are also abundant of the many towers within the walls of the castle. These include the Montagu, Grey Mare’s Tail, Lion and Carrickfergus towers as well as the almost intact Great Tower. Good images of the village can be captured through the north windows of the Great Tower. In springtime, the hill on which the castle stands is

Top: A view of the medieval castle ruins overlooking Warkworth village from across the River Coquet Bottom: The Fish Shack restaurant by the harbour at Amble, just two miles downstream from Warkworth

ablaze with daffodils. The 14th-century fortified bridge and gatehouse to the north of the village is also photogenic.

Places to stay

Warkworth village and its environs have abundant, excellent accommodation, from hotel rooms to self-catering apartments and holiday homes. Entering the village from the south, the Sun Hotel is on your right, directly opposite the castle (thesunhotelwarkworth. co.uk). This is a recently refurbished 17th-century coaching inn with 16 rooms ranging from single to bridal suite, and adjoining steakhouse and country pub. Most rooms look across to the castle.

Extend your trip

A gentle riverbank walk half-a-mile upstream of the village brings you to The Hermitage, an ornate chapel carved, cave-like out of the sandstone cliff. This can only be reached by boat on certain days during the summer but is well worth visiting when it is open. Two miles downstream, at the river mouth, is the picturesque fishing village of Amble. From there, you can take a boat trip around the bird sanctuary of Coquet Island, famous for its colonies of puffins and roseate terns. Amble is noted for its fish restaurants and its Seafood Centre and lobster hatchery.

Further reading

The Hermit of Warkworth by Dr Thomas Percy is a ballad based on the legend of Sir Bertram, who, following a romantic, but tragic love story, becomes the hermit of the title. The Hermitage by L J Ross, is one of series of crime novels set in Northumberland, featuring the detective, DCI Ryan, which begins with an apparently motiveless murder when a body is found in the Hermitage. The action takes place between Warkworth and Florence, Italy.

English Heritage has published an illustrated guidebook to Warkworth Castle and Hermitage, which includes a history of the town and the Percy family. Some scenes in Shakespeare’s Henry IV, Part I, also take place in Warkworth Castle. n