Langley Castle

Langley Castle is a Grade I listed castle built around 1350 and restored by Cadwallader Bates around 1900. It is constructed from squared stone, and the roofs are not visible. The castle features a large and impressive tower-house with a rectangular four-storey central block and square five-storey angle towers that project from the longer east and west faces.

There is a later 14th-century forebuilding that contains the entrance and a newel stair, situated in the re-entrant angle of the south-east tower and the east front. The east elevation has a pointed double-chamfered entrance arch in the forebuilding, along with various windows, some of which have been restored. The south elevation features twin stepped buttresses topped with corbelled-out circular bartizans. It includes a central door, flanking windows, and first-floor windows from the 19th century, while other windows date back to the 14th century, with some restored. The south-west tower has garderobe projections with arched openings on its south and west sides.

The west elevation showcases a variety of traceried windows, some from the 19th century and others restored from the 14th century, with all ground floor openings dating to the 19th century. The north elevation is similar to the south, featuring a 19th-century ground floor door and restored 14th-century windows. The castle is adorned with embattled parapets, bartizans, and turrets, all from the 19th century, although these are likely a reasonably accurate restoration.

Inside, all floors and woodwork are from the 19th century, while there are 14th-century doorways, fireplaces, and vaulted guardrooms in the forebuilding. The south-west tower contains elaborate garderobe arrangements.

Langley Castle is considered the finest tower-house in Northumberland. It is believed to have been built by Sir Thomas de Lucy and later belonged to the Earl of Northumberland. By 1541, it was already a roofless ruin but remained a reasonably intact shell until Bates' restoration.