Image of Tyne and Wear with the general position of castles. 1. Hylton Castle 2. Newcastle Castle Keep 3. Ravensworth Castle 4. Tynemouth Castle

There are four castles in Tyne and Wear, a metropolitan county in North East England. One is a gatehouse, one is a keep, one is an enclosure and one is an artillery fort.

All four of Tyne and Wear's castles are scheduled monuments. A scheduled monument is a "nationally important" archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change.[1]

The purpose of a castle was not simply militaristic, but was also considered to be a stamp of authority over the population of an area and a status symbol. Some would have acted as centres of trade and administration for a manor.[2] The earliest castle in Tyne and Wear is Tynemouth Castle.

List of castles

Castle Location Type Constructed Scheduled Coordinates
Hylton Castle North Hylton, Sunderland Gatehouse 1390s–1400s Yes 54°55′21″N 1°26′36″W / 54.9225°N 1.4432°W / 54.9225; -1.4432 (Hylton Castle)
Newcastle Castle Keep Newcastle-upon-Tyne Keep 1168–1178 Yes 54°58′08″N 1°36′37″W / 54.9688°N 1.6104°W / 54.9688; -1.6104 (Newcastle Castle Keep)
Ravensworth Castle Lamesley, Gateshead Enclosure 14th century (or earlier) Yes 54°55′36″N 1°38′17″W / 54.9266°N 1.6380°W / 54.9266; -1.6380 (Ravensworth Castle)
Tynemouth Castle North Shields, Tynemouth Artillery fort 1095 Yes 55°01′04″N 1°25′11″W / 55.0177°N 1.4197°W / 55.0177; -1.4197 (Tynemouth Castle)

References

Map all coordinates using: OpenStreetMap Download coordinates as: KML GPX (all coordinates) GPX (primary coordinates) GPX (secondary coordinates)
  1. ^ "The Schedule of Monuments". Pastscape.org.uk. Archived from the original on 10 February 2009. Retrieved 30 December 2007.
  2. ^ Friar (2003), p. 186, 193.

Bibliography

  • Friar, Stephen (2003). The Sutton Companion to Castles. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7509-3994-2.
Categories