Castle Keep

Telephone: 0191 2327938

A visit to Newcastle wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Keep. The building you see today was rebuilt by Henry II in 1168, using the skills of Maurice the Engineer, and it cost £1,144. The construction lasted 10 years, being interrupted twice when the Scots besieged the castle.

Originally, the Roman fort of Pons Aelius stood on the site. It guarded the river crossing until the Romans left in the 5^th century AD. ‘Pons’ is the Latin name for ‘bridge’, and Aelius was the family name of the Emperor Hadrian. Hadrian, of course, built the famous wall in this region which stretched from one side of the country to the other. Another legendary place to visit! It is possible to see, in the Keep area, where the fort stood.

The first castle was built in 1080 by Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror. It wasn’t built of stone, though, being constructed of timber and earth. It is not known whether this castle was of a motte and bailey design or ringwork style. A ‘motte’ was the mound in the middle of a castle site and the bailey was the fenced off area around it. There was no mound in a ringwork castle, but it was surrounded by a bank and a ditch. This castle was the ‘New Castle’ which gave the town its name. Before the castle was built there was a Christian Anglo Saxon burial ground, and even after it was built burials continued within its grounds.

The keep we see today was both the living space for the Commander of the garrison and the defence strongpoint. A must see is the Norman Chapel, regarded as one of the finest in the country. There is a well too, which is over 100 feet deep, and supplied fresh water to the castle.

The Garth is the area enclosed by the castle walls, and this is where King John added the Great Hall in the 13^th century. After that, the Barbican was added. This is known as the Black Gate.

The Keep became a prison for the County of Northumberland in 1400, and the Great Hall was used by the courts of the assizes.

The Castle lost some of its importance when the Town Wall was built. This had six large gates and seventeen towers and turrets. The castle then became not  much more than a Royal supply base.

In the 17^th Century the castle was leased to one of the King’s courtiers, and houses and workshops were built within it. In 1642, however it was refortified, becoming the last bastion of defence for the town’s Royalists during the Civil War. They surrendered to the Parliamentarians in 1644.

The castle again became a residential area, and the Castle Garth had a theatre, lodging houses and other buildings. When the new Moot Hall was going to be built these were cleared away. This was in the early 1800s. Further clearance took place in the mid 1800s for the railway viaduct.  The railway ran in between the Keep and the Black Gate. In 1810 the City Corporation bought the Castle Keep for £630 and restoration began, and this continues today. The Castle Keep is a Grade one listed building.

There are five floors to the Keep, including the ground floor and the roof. Climb to the top for an amazing view over Newcastle and the River Tyne. The Castle Keep is open 361 days of the year and tours are free of charge, but bookings must be by prior arrangement.

Access:  Apart from the ground level the keep is not suitable for wheelchair users, ue to the steepness of the steps.  As an alternative virtual tours can be booked where all of the keep can be viewed virtually.

 Open every day, 10am - 5pm Monday to Saturday and 12 noon to 5pm Sunday. Last entry is 4.15pm.
Closed 25th and 26th December and 1st January.