England · Restored
Morpeth Castle
Morpeth Castle is a medieval castle on a mound overlooking the River Wansbeck at Morpeth, Northumberland. The 11th‑century motte and bailey was replaced in the 1340s by a stone castle whose much‑altered gatehouse survives; that gatehouse has been restored by the Landmark Trust and is now holiday accommodation.
Its prime
1340
Today
Restored
As it stood in 1340
The shape it held in its prime.
A squat, rectangular stone gatehouse of warm honey‑coloured sandstone forms the principal visible feature: a broad pointed arched timber entrance set in an ashlar façade, narrow vertical slit windows and pairs of mullioned windows above, and a crenellated parapet with projecting corbels along the roofline. A low curtain wall runs away from the gatehouse along the hillside; the whole stands on a raised motte above a grass‑covered slope overlooking the river and town.
Its story
The story of Morpeth Castle.
The first castle at Morpeth was an 11th-century motte and bailey on a mound above the River Wansbeck, replaced in the 1340s by a stone castle whose much-altered gatehouse is what survives today. The castle was held by — and passed through the female line of — several illustrious families: de Merlay, Greystoke, Dacre and Howard, though none of them resided there for any long period.
The one great military event in the castle's history came in 1644, when a garrison of 500 Lowland Scots held it for Parliament for 20 days against 2,700 Royalists. In about 1860 the gatehouse was restored and converted into a staff residence; it has since been restored by the Landmark Trust and is now available as holiday accommodation.
Step inside
8 places to explore in 1340.
The record describes 8 distinct spots at Morpeth Castle — including 2 interiors: gate passage through the gatehouse, first-floor gatehouse chamber. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and walk through every one — more scenes means more photos, more angles and more rooms of the immersive experience.
Create History
Recreate Morpeth Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1340 — a photoreal walk that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate Castle to Explore →Whose castle
Clans who held Morpeth Castle.
The families that held Morpeth Castle for a decade or more across its history — follow a name to its clan.
de Merlay
Early holders of Morpeth; the castle passed through the female line from the de Merlays to the Greystokes.
Greystoke
Held Morpeth by descent through the female line from the de Merlays.
Dacre
Held Morpeth by female-line descent, between the Greystokes and the Howards.
The last of the great families to hold Morpeth, receiving it by female-line descent from the Dacres.
