England · Partial ruin
Thirlwall Castle
Thirlwall Castle is a medieval castle in Northumberland, England, sited on the bank of the River Tipalt near Greenhead. Built from the 12th century and substantially fortified in the medieval period, much of the stone fabric survives as standing walls and towers but the site fell into long-term decay and is now a protected ruin managed by the national park.
Its prime
1330
Today
Partial ruin
As it stood in 1330
What Thirlwall Castle looked like in its prime.
At its prime the castle read as a compact stone fortress: a pronounced square corner tower linked to two- and three-storey curtain walls of irregular pale grey-brown sandstone (including re-used Roman ashlar), pierced by narrow vertical arrow-slits and a few larger openings. Timber-framed pitched roofs and gabled ranges sat behind the wallheads; the silhouette was blocky and rectilinear. The complex occupied a grassy bank directly above the River Tipalt, with an enclosed central courtyard.
Its story
The story of Thirlwall Castle.
Thirlwall Castle sits on the bank of the River Tipalt near Greenhead in Northumberland, about 20 miles west of Hexham. Built in the 12th century, it was later strengthened using stones taken from nearby Hadrian's Wall. It was the home of the Thirlwall family, and was fortified in about 1330 by John Thirlwall.
The castle began to fall into disrepair in the 17th century. Eleanor Thirwall, the last of the Thirlwall family line, abandoned it as a residence, and the estate passed to the Swinburne family through her 1738 marriage to Matthew Swinburne of Capheaton Hall. Swinburne sold the estate to the Earl of Carlisle for £4,000 in 1748.
Much of the stone fabric still stands as walls and towers, and the site, protected by Grade I listing and Scheduled Ancient Monument status, is now a ruin in the care of the national park.
Step inside
7 places to explore in 1330.
The record describes 7 distinct spots at Thirlwall Castle, including 1 interior: central courtyard (interior). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
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Clans who held Thirlwall Castle.
The families that held Thirlwall Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.
Thirlwall
Home of the Thirlwall family, fortified c. 1330 by John Thirlwall; the line ended with Eleanor Thirwall in the 18th century.
Swinburne
Passed to the Swinburnes of Capheaton Hall by marriage in 1738; sold to the Earl of Carlisle in 1748.
Nearby
