Dunstanburgh Castle

Dunstanburgh Castle is a Grade I listed fortress built in 1313 under Master Elias the mason for Thomas, second Earl of Lancaster. It stands on an 11-acre headland enclosure with sea cliffs to the north, near Craster in Northumberland.

The castle was substantially remodelled after 1380 under Henry of Holme for John of Gaunt, when the original gatehouse was converted into a great tower and a new gateway was constructed. Some restoration took place in 1885 when the blocking of the early 14th-century gate passage was removed. The walls are constructed of squared sandstone with whinstone rubble core, except for roughly-squared limestone in the east curtain. The castle underwent restoration work in 1885, at which point the blocking of the early 14th-century gate passage was removed.

The fortress comprises a great gatehouse at the south-west corner backed by a small inner ward, a late 14th-century new gatehouse on the west curtain immediately beyond the inner ward with an associated barbican and mantlet wall running to an outer gate, the Constable's Tower with constable's house behind at the midpoint of the south curtain, Egyncleugh Tower at the south-east corner, and Lilburn Tower towards the north end of the west curtain.

The Great Gatehouse consists of two large D-plan towers, originally five storeys high, flanking a three-storey block containing a second-floor hall. The entrance arch is a restored segmental-pointed arch. The flanking towers have a multi-chamfered plinth, cross loops at basement level, and windows of two shoulder-headed lights above. The upper two floors are largely fallen except for corbelled-out turrets on the inner faces. The rear elevation of the three-storey part mostly stands to full height, with the gate passage flanked by projections capped by semi-octagonal chimneys with moulded and pierced caps, beneath the remains of a two-light transomed hall window.

Inside the Great Gatehouse, the gate passage is vaulted on chamfered ribs. At the inner end are small vaulted guard rooms, the western one containing a rock-cut dungeon. A chamber over the passage displays murder holes above the outer gate and a portcullis slot above the inner gate. A restored newel stair at the north-east corner has remains of an umbrella vault at its top.

The curtain of the inner ward stands to 2 to 3 metres high, with jambs of a gateway on the east and the base of a tower at the north-east corner. West of the tower is a room retaining part of a large domed oven. A deep rock-cut well lies within the ward.

The south curtain stands high but has been robbed of its lower facing. East of the Great Gatehouse is a corbelled-out turret, followed by the projecting square Constable's Tower with two-light windows to the first and second floors. The inner face of the tower is largely fallen, and the adjacent constable's house is reduced to footings and fragments. Further east stands a projecting square turret and the Egyncleugh Tower, which housed a second gateway. Its outer face is partly fallen but the inner face stands, featuring a chamfered archway and a two-light window above. The gate passage shows remains of a vault on heavy square ribs.

The east curtain is of poor-quality masonry, standing only about 1.5 to 3 metres in height, and contains three small garderobe chambers and the jambs of a postern near the south end. Near the south end of the west curtain are the chamfered jambs with portcullis slot of the late 14th-century gateway. The associated mantlet wall and outer gate are only foundations. The rest of this curtain is reduced to footings and core fragments. The shell of the square Lilburn Tower is complete except for its south-east corner and has several two-light windows, a square-headed doorway to the wallwalk on the north, two corbelled-out garderobes on the west, and taller embattled angle turrets. A fragment of curtain on the north holds a pointed sallyport arch.

The Great Gatehouse and towers contain remains of newel stairs, mural garderobes, plain fireplaces and jamb seats in the inner splays of the larger windows.

Historical evidence including finds of Romano-British artefacts and the "-burh" termination of the name indicates earlier occupation of the headland. Earl Thomas, who built the castle apparently as a refuge rather than a residence, was executed in 1322, after which the fortress passed into Royal hands. John of Gaunt, as lieutenant of the Marches towards Scotland, ordered the late 14th-century alterations. His conversion of the gatehouse and construction of a new gate alongside it compare with similar works at Llansteffan in Carmarthenshire. Before these alterations were complete, the castle withstood a Scottish attack in 1384. During the Wars of the Roses, it was held for the Lancastrians until falling to the Earl of Warwick in 1464 after a siege. It was never fully repaired after this.