Find the nearest History & Heritage in Northumberland
Our History and Heritage category brings all Coast Radar’s Northumberland listings related to looking for something to do or a place to visit together where they offer some form of historic or heritage based activity.
Finding the best things to see and do on a Northumberland day out with your family or friends is easy – simply explore the historic and heritage links below, hit the jump to my location button or use the search bar to plan your next Northumberland activity.
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- Lordenshaws, remains of an Iron Age Hillfort, Bronze age burials and rock carvings in open heather moorland close to the forested slopes of the Simonside Hills.
- Northumberland Wildlife Trust nature reserve within an old open cast mine. Number of hides, including wheelchair access to some.
- Kielder Castle overlooks Kielder Village, and was the former hunting lodge for the Duke of Northumberland. Now it is home to the Kielder Forest and Birds of Kielder exhibitions as well as local collections of artwork at the Duchess art gallery.
- Chillingham Castle is a medieval castle situated in the Northumberland village of Chillingham in north-eastern England. Built originally as a monastery in the late 12th century, it was owned by the Grey family and their descendants from the beginning right up until the 1980s. Now owned by Sir Humphrey and Lady Wakefield, Chillingham is open to the public for much of the year. Visitors can wander around this medieval fortress, gasp at its dungeons and torture chambers as well as stroll through the beautiful landscaped gardens.
- Grace Darling was 22 years old when she risked her life in an open boat to help the survivors of the wrecked SS Forfarshire on 7 September 1838. With her father, she rowed for over a mile through raging seas to reach them. The courage that Grace and her family showed on that day is now legendary. Click here for the Grace Darling Museum website.
- Brinkburn Priory, 12th-century church of the Augustinian priory of Brinkburn survives completely roofed and restored. Picturesquely set by a bend in the River Coquet, it is reached by a scenic 10 minute walk from the car park. Parts of the monastic buildings are incorporated into the adjacent manor house.
- Berwick Bridge is a grade I listed 17th century stone bridge which spans the River Tweed at Berwick upon Tweed in Northumberland. Also known as Old Bridge, four previous bridges have stood on the same site with the oldest dating back to 1199. The bridge is 355 metres long by 5 metres wide, with 15 arches. Today, the bridge is one-way from east to west. The main road traffic either crosses the river at the concrete Royal Tweed Bridge or uses the Berwick bypass.
- Dunstanburgh Castle, a dramatic ruined castle in an impressive coastal setting. This dominates a lonely stretch of Northumberland’s coastline and was once one of the largest and grandest fortifications in Northern England.
- Chantries, small chapels for travellers were common in medieval England. This Chantry at Morpeth is one of the few to survive and now houses a pipes museum, craft studio and tourist information point.
- Harbottle Castle was built in the 12th century. It was a typical Norman motte and bailey castle built of earth and timber. In the 13th century, a stone castle replaced the earlier building. The castle was destroyed and rebuilt many times in the wars with Scotland between the 12th and 16th centuries. Most of the stone from the castle was reused to make later buildings, but the layout of the castle can still be seen from the form of the earthworks that survive. Some good walks to Drake’s Stone and a hilltop lake.
- Heddon on the Wall is a village on Hadrian’s Wall situated just outside Throckley in Northumberland. At Heddon, there is the longest stretch of unbroken parts of Hadrian’s Wall, which is up to 2 metres thick in places. This stretch is now known as Broad Wall and is popular with tourists.
- Edlingham Castle ruins, principally the solar tower, of a manor house progressively fortified against the Scots during the 14th century.
