All I can say is that there are a lot of castles in this country and I’m sure I haven’t got them all. I have tried to remember some of the differences between a tower house or pele tower and a castle when I’ve made my list. A pele tower was not designed to be lived in the whole time – it was more of a refuge when reivers and clan enemies arrived on your doorstep. Aydon Castle is actually a fortified manor house rather than a castle but it’s on the list because it’s such a lovely example. The list is in no particular order and I have missed a particular favourite of yours I can only apologise. Please add it to the comments section. I have written about rather a lot of castles over the years. If you select “castles” from categories on the right hand side of the blog you will be able to find them.
Cumberia and Westmorland:
Naworth Castle is actually a pele or peel tower depending on how you would like to spell it. https://thehistoryjar.com/2017/05/11/naworth-castle-and-the-dacres/ Highead Castle and Thistlewood Tower, both in Cumbria are also peel towers. Thistlewood was in the possession of the Dacre family as was Naworth. https://thehistoryjar.com/2017/05/16/highead-castle-and-thistlewood-tower/
Carlisle Castle – first built in 1092 by William Rufus. I don’t think I’ve ever written specifically about the castle although it has turned up in quite a few posts including about Andrew de Harcla who was besieged by the Scots.
Askerton Castle – a fortified manor house rather than a castle. Now a farm.
Dacre Castle – it’s actually a tower house rather than a castle but it looks remarkable like a castle from the exterior.
Rose Castle – the home of the Bishops of Carisle https://thehistoryjar.com/2017/05/22/rose-castle/
Greystoke Castle I know I’ve visited Greystoke but I think that I posted about the church at the time.
Egremont Castle https://thehistoryjar.com/2017/05/15/egremont-castle-the-de-lucys-and-the-de-multons/
Corby Castle
Cockermouth Castle
Penrith Castle
Brougham Castle
Newcastle Castle
Armathwaite Castle
Appleby Castle
Pendragon Castle https://thehistoryjar.com/2016/06/28/pendragon-castle/
Kendal Castle
Muncaster Castle
Egremont Castle https://thehistoryjar.com/2017/05/15/egremont-castle-the-de-lucys-and-the-de-multons/
Dalton Castle
Piel Castle
Lowther Castle isn’t a medieval castle its a much later build as is Wray Castle.
Sizergh Castle
Lancashire: Lancaster Castle and Clitheroe Castle spring immediately to mind. Then, Hornby Castle due to the Wars of the Roses – I think.
Yorkshire – north of Pontefract Castle which was often described as the “Key to the North.
Spofforth Castle
Skipton Castle
Knaresborough Castle
Clifford’s Tower
Helmsley Castle
Pickering Castle
Scarborough Castle
Middleham Castle
Bolton Castle
Richmond Castle First built by Alan the Red after the Norman Conquest.
County Durham and Northumbria
Castles, peel towers and fortified manors sprout like mushrooms in the NorthEast and I suspect this is one of the reasons why I love visiting the area.
Thirlwall Castle – built close to Hadrian’s Wall from dressed stones quarried from the wall. It’s also a tower house rather than a castle proper.
Aukland Castle
Barnard Castle https://thehistoryjar.com/2015/10/31/barnard-castle-anne-beauchamp-and-oriel-windows/
Raby Castle
Walworth Castle
Bowes Castle
Durham Castle
Hylton Castle
Newcastle Keep
Aydon Castle
Lumley Castle
Tynemouth Castle
Belsay Castle
Bothal Castle
Bywell Castle
Mitford Castle
Warkworth Castle https://thehistoryjar.com/2018/07/15/warkworth-castle-hotspur-and-rebellion-against-henry-iv/
Edlingham Castle
Preston Tower – looks like a keep but is actually a peel tower.
Alnwick Castle https://thehistoryjar.com/2018/07/05/alnwick-castle/
Dunstanburgh Castle
Chillingham Castle
Etal Castle
Lindisfarne Castle
Norham Castle
Berwick Castle
Featherstone Castle
And that is, as they say, that! If this has wetted your appetite to visit a few castles when we’re all allowed out then I would recommend the Collins English Castles from its Little Books series. Others of you may have your Observers Book of Castles on your bookshelves. It has been very pleasant thinking of all the castles that I have visited – less pleasant trying to identify my photographs!
Warwick Castle, and an uncertain substitute ‘pile’ for the real castle – only a bit of the gatehouse remains I think – in Nottingham.
Sorry – wrong part of the country!
You’re just ahead of me that’s all!
Re Carlisle Castle. It was the very first place to ‘house’ Mary Queen of Scots following her detention in 1568.
She paused at Workington Hall before journeying via Cockermouth to Carlisle. It was in Carlisle that she found freedom of movement something of an issue and there was that Anglo-Scottish football match. Carlisle Castle is my most favourite castle in the UK – not necessarily the most glamorous but knee deep in history.
So many in Northumberland that I gave up. I think I found Wooler, Dilston and Bywell that you did’t have but they may even been just fortified houses. One distinction I have is that as a student I lived in Lumley Castle for a year when it was part of a Durham college. No sieges
There are rather a lot. You have just identified a forthcoming challenge… sieges.
You should take a look at Brancepeth Castle – about 5 miles south-west of Durham https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brancepeth_Castle