Who owns Bamburgh Castle and why is it so famous?
BAMBURGH CASTLE is one of the oldest in Britain, with its history stretching back to the 11th century.
Here, we look at who owns it, where it is and what has been filmed there.
Who owns Bamburgh Castle?
Bamburgh Castle is owned by the Armstrong family, after being bought by William Armstrong, 1st Baron Armstrong in 1894.
He was an English engineer and industrialist who founded the Armstrong Whitworth manufacturing concern on Tyneside.
Armstrong knocked some of the castle down and turned the rest into a combination of medieval fortress and Victorian mansion.
The castle houses his unique collection of artwork and ceramics.
Where is Bamburgh Castle?
Bamburgh Castle is located in the village of Bamburgh, Northumberland.
It is 50.6 miles from Newcastle and 49.4 miles from the Scottish border.
It stands on a cliff 150 feet above the North Sea.
The actual site has been inhabited for over 12,000 years, with archaeological evidence from the Bronze age, which lasted between 3300 BC to 1200 BC.
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It remains one of the largest inhabited castles in the United Kingdom.
Why is Bamburgh Castle famous?
There is a lot of history attributed to the castle, which was built in the 11th century and became a grade I listed building in January 1952.
It was home to a succession of kings from Henry VI to James I and the first castle in the world to fall to gunpowder in the War of the Roses.
It was once the Royal Seat of the Kings of Northumbria.
There have also been rumours that the castle is haunted, with stories of a ghost of a lady in pink.
The castle has been used for a number of different productions in its time.
What was filmed in Bamburgh Castle?
It appeared in the 1964 film Beckett starring Peter O'Toole and Richard Burton used Bamburgh as one of its primary filming locations.
The castle was one of the settings for the 1971 film Macbeth starring Francesca Annis. Other areas in Northumberland were also used for filming, including nearby Lindisfarne Castle.
The 2015 remake of the film also used Bamburgh as a filming location.
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1971 film Mary Queen of Scots, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Glenda Jackson and Timothy Dalton, used various parts of the castle.
The 2023 film, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, starring Harrison Ford and Mads Mikkelsen, used the castle for filming.