Aydon Castle is a fortified manor house

Manor house

A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...

 at Aydon

Aydon

 Aydon is a village in Northumberland, England. It is about northeast of Corbridge on the B6321 road. The village is about from Newcastle along the main A69 road. The A68 road is close by, leading to Jedburgh and Darlington...

 near to the town of Corbridge

Corbridge

 Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...

, Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. It is a Scheduled Ancient Monument

Scheduled Ancient Monument

In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...

, and has been designated by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 as a Grade I listed building.

Documentary evidence shows that a timber hall first existed on this site.
The manor house was built by Robert de Reymes, a wealthy Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

 merchant, starting in 1296 AD, adjacent to the steep valley of the Cor Burn. At this time the house consisted of a two-storeyed home with a solar, dining hall and kitchen on the upper floor. In 1305 he obtained a licence to crenellate his property and added battlements and curtain walls.It was captured by the Scots

Scottish people

The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...

 in 1315 and again in 1346. In the middle of the 16th century it was renovated and in the middle of 17th century it was converted into a farm. The building remained in use as a farm until 1966 but has since been restored to its medieval appearance. It is managed by English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

.

External links

• Aydon Castle - official site at English Heritage