Built on the site of the fortress that gave the City of Newcastle its name, Newcastle’s Castle has been a Tyneside mainstay since it was built in 1177.
Initially built by the romans as a fort to protect a river crossing, the site became what we know today thanks to William I. The Norman king sent his son to defend England against the Scots and after the campaign built a ‘new castle’.
The site has played a prominent role in local history ever since. The stone keep was built in the 1170s by King Henry II and during the English Civil War it was refortified after being left in a state if disrepair.
During the time of the civil war the city was under seige for three months from Scottish Parliamentarians. The final troops to surrender did so from the castle keep.
During the 16th to the 18th century, the keep was used as a prison with the site being fully restored into what we know today thanks to work in the 1960s and 1980s.
Come with us as we take a step back into the history of the castle. All photos come from Newcastle Libraries’ collections.
5. 1786
A copy of a 1786 print of the Castle Keep. | NL
6. 1980
A photograph of the Castle Keep on a snowy day taken c.1980. | NL
7. 1969
A view of Castle Garth Newcastle upon Tyne taken in 1969. The view is of the excavations which took place in Castle Square. Part of the Keep is in the background with the Moot Hall to the left beyond. | NL
8. 1962
A 1962 photograph of the entrance to the Castle Keep. | NL