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Coordinates: 55°31′34″N 1°54′18″W / 55.526°N 1.905°W / 55.526; -1.905
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Use British English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox building
{{Infobox building
| name = Chillingham Castle
| name = Chillingham Castle
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| coordinates = {{Coord|55.526|-1.905|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates = {{Coord|55.526|-1.905|region:GB|display=inline,title}}
| map_type = United Kingdom Northumberland
| map_type = United Kingdom Northumberland
| owner = Sir [[Humphry Wakefield]]
| owner = [[Sir Humphry Wakefield, 2nd Baronet]]
| number_of_suites = 8
| number_of_suites = 8
| website = {{url|https://chillingham-castle.com/}}
| website = {{URL|https://chillingham-castle.com/}}
}}
}}


'''Chillingham Castle''' is a medieval castle in the village of [[Chillingham, Northumberland|Chillingham]] in the northern part of [[Northumberland]], [[England]]. It was the seat of the [[Baron Grey of Werke|Grey]] and [[Earl of Tankerville#Earls of Tankerville, Third Creation (1714)|Bennett]] (later Earls of Tankerville) families from the 15th century until the 1980s, when it became the home of [[Humphry Wakefield|Sir Edward Humphry Tyrrell Wakefield, 2nd Baronet]], who is married to a member of the original Grey family.
'''Chillingham Castle''' is a medieval castle in the village of [[Chillingham, Northumberland|Chillingham]] in the northern part of [[Northumberland]], [[England]]. It was the seat of the [[Baron Grey of Werke|Grey]] and [[Earl of Tankerville#Earls of Tankerville, Third Creation (1714)|Bennet]] (later Earls of Tankerville) families from the 15th century until the 1980s, when it became the home of [[Humphry Wakefield|Sir Edward Humphry Tyrrell Wakefield, 2nd Baronet]], who is married to a member of the original Grey family.


A large enclosed park in the castle grounds is home to the [[Chillingham cattle]], a rare breed, consisting of about 90 head of white cattle.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.countryfile.com/news/coming-weeks-countryfile-sunday-1-november |title=Coming up on this week's Countryfile - Sunday 1 November |website=[[Countryfile]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |date=30 October 2009 |accessdate=9 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009144916/http://www.countryfile.com/news/coming-weeks-countryfile-sunday-1-november |archive-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
A large enclosed park in the castle grounds is home to the [[Chillingham cattle]], a rare breed, consisting of about 130 head of white cattle.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20210915-a-british-beast-rarer-than-the-panda|work=[[BBC Future]]|title=A British beast rarer than the panda|first=Daniel|last=Stables|date=16 September 2021|accessdate=19 September 2021}}</ref>


The castle is a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref name=NHLE>{{NHLE|num=1042387|desc=Chillingham Castle|access-date=31 May 2020|mode=cs2}}</ref>
The castle is a Grade I [[listed building]].<ref name=NHLE>{{NHLE|num=1042387|desc=Chillingham Castle|access-date=31 May 2020|mode=cs2}}</ref>
Line 23: Line 25:


==History==
==History==
[[File:Chillinghamcastlemorris edited.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|A 19th-century view of the castle from the south]]
[[File:Chillinghamcastlemorris edited.jpg|thumb|left|A 19th-century view of the castle from the south|300px]]
The castle was originally a [[monastery]] in the late 12th century. In 1298, [[Edward I of England|King Edward I]] stayed at the castle on his way to Scotland to battle a Scottish army led by [[William Wallace]]. A glazed window in a frame was specially installed for the king, a rarity in such buildings at the time.
The castle was originally a [[monastery]] in the late 12th century. In 1298, [[Edward I of England|King Edward I]] stayed at the castle on his way to Scotland to battle a Scottish army led by [[William Wallace]]. A glazed window in a frame was specially installed for the king, a rarity in such buildings at the time.


Line 30: Line 32:
The building underwent a harsh series of enhancements, and in 1344 a [[Licence to crenellate]] was issued by [[Edward III of England|King Edward III]] to allow [[battlement]]s to be built, effectively upgrading the stronghold to a fully fortified [[castle]], of [[quadrangular castle|quadrangular]] form.
The building underwent a harsh series of enhancements, and in 1344 a [[Licence to crenellate]] was issued by [[Edward III of England|King Edward III]] to allow [[battlement]]s to be built, effectively upgrading the stronghold to a fully fortified [[castle]], of [[quadrangular castle|quadrangular]] form.


[[File:Chillingham Castle from the Italian Garden.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left|The castle from the east, across its Italian Garden]]
[[File:Chillingham Castle from the Italian Garden.jpg|thumb|left|The castle from the east, across its Italian Garden|300px]]


[[Anne of Denmark]], Queen of Scotland, and her children stayed in the castle on their way to London on 6 June 1603.<ref>''HMC Salisbury Hatfield'', vol. 15 (London, 1930), p. 126.</ref> In 1617, [[James I of England|James I]], whose reign unified the crowns of England and Scotland (James I of England was also James VI of Scotland), stayed at the castle on a journey between his two kingdoms. As relations between the two countries became peaceful following the union of the crowns, the need for a military stronghold in the area declined. The castle was gradually transformed; the moat was filled, and battlements were converted into residential wings. A [[banquet|banquet hall]] and a [[library]] were built.
At the [[Union of the Crowns]], [[Anne of Denmark]], Queen of Scotland, and her children stayed in the castle on their way to London on 6 June 1603.<ref>''HMC Salisbury Hatfield'', vol. 15 (London, 1930), p. 126.</ref> A poem celebrating her welcome at Chillingham was probably written by her secretary, [[William Fowler (makar)|William Fowler]].<ref>Allison L. Steenson, ''The Hawthornden Manuscripts of William Fowler'' (Routledge, 2021), 39–40, 193–195.</ref> In 1617, [[James I of England|James I]], whose reign unified the crowns of England and Scotland (James I of England was also James VI of Scotland), stayed at the castle on a journey between his two kingdoms. As relations between the two countries became peaceful following the union of the crowns, the need for a military stronghold in the area declined. The castle was gradually transformed; the moat was filled, and battlements were converted into residential wings. A [[banquet|banquet hall]] and a [[library]] were built.


In the 18th and 19th centuries, the grounds underwent [[Landscape architecture|landscaping]], including work carried out by Sir [[Jeffry Wyattville]]. The once extensive park is now under a separate ownership from the castle.<ref name=DT-Duncan>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/734150/Britain-As-if-to-the-manor-born-part-2.html |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |first=Fiona |last=Duncan | title=Britain: As if to the manor born (part 2) |date=7 December 2005}}</ref>
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the grounds underwent [[Landscape architecture|landscaping]], including work carried out by Sir [[Jeffry Wyattville]]. The once extensive park is now under a separate ownership from the castle.<ref name=DT-Duncan>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/734150/Britain-As-if-to-the-manor-born-part-2.html |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |first=Fiona |last=Duncan | title=Britain: As if to the manor born (part 2) |date=7 December 2005}}</ref>


The Prince and Princess of Wales stayed at Chillingham Castle en route to Scotland, in 1872.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Prince and Princess of Wales in Edinburgh |work=Berwickshire News and General Advertiser |date=22 October 1872}}</ref>
The [[Edward VII|Prince]] and [[Alexandra of Denmark|Princess of Wales]] stayed at Chillingham Castle en route to Scotland, in 1872.<ref>{{cite news |title=The Prince and Princess of Wales in Edinburgh |work=Berwickshire News and General Advertiser |date=22 October 1872}}</ref>


[[File:Chillingham Castle great hall.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Great hall, used as a filming location for ''Elizabeth''. The fireplaces are film props.]]
[[File:Chillingham Castle great hall.jpg|thumb|300px|The Great hall, used as a filming location for the 1998 historical film ''[[Elizabeth (film)|Elizabeth]]''. The medieval-style fireplaces are film props.]]


During the [[World War II|Second World War]], the castle was used as an army barracks. During this time, much of the decorative wood is said to have been stripped out and burned by the soldiers billeted there. After the war, the castle began to fall into disrepair. Lead had been removed from the roof, resulting in extensive weather damage to large parts of the building.
During the [[World War II|Second World War]], the castle was used as an army barracks. During this time, much of the decorative wood is said to have been stripped out and burned by the soldiers billeted there. After the war, the castle began to fall into disrepair. Lead had been removed from the roof, resulting in extensive weather damage to large parts of the building.


The castle and estate remained linked with the [[Earl of Tankerville|Earls of Tankerville]] until [[Peter Bennett, 10th Earl of Tankerville]], succeeded in 1980. Soon after this, the landed estate was broken up and sold.<ref>[https://communities.northumberland.gov.uk/Chillingham.htm Chillingham], [[Northumberland County Council]], accessed 13 January 2023</ref>
⚫
In 1982, the castle was purchased by [[Humphry Wakefield|Sir Humphry Wakefield, 2nd Baronet]], whose wife Catherine is descended from the Greys of Chillingham, and Wakefield set about a painstaking restoration of the castle.<ref name=DT-Duncan />


⚫
In 1982, the castle was bought by [[Humphry Wakefield|Sir Humphry Wakefield, 2nd Baronet]], whose wife Catherine is descended from the Greys of Chillingham, and Wakefield set about a painstaking restoration of the castle.<ref name=DT-Duncan />
⚫
In 1997, the castle was used as a filming location for ''[[Elizabeth (film)|Elizabeth]]'', featuring as Leith Castle and as the hunting lodge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/e/Elizabeth.php|title=Elizabeth : 1997|work=Movie Locations|access-date=9 January 2020}}</ref> The fibreglass fireplaces from the film remain in the great hall, covering 18th century white marble fireplaces from [[Wanstead House]].<ref name='guidebook'>{{cite book|title=Chillingham Castle Room & Grounds Guide|first=Humphry|last=Wakefield|publisher=Chillingham Castle}}</ref>


⚫
In 1997, the castle was used as a filming location for the film ''[[Elizabeth (film)|Elizabeth]]'', featuring as Leith Castle and as the hunting lodge.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.movie-locations.com/movies/e/Elizabeth.php|title=Elizabeth : 1997|work=Movie Locations|access-date=9 January 2020}}</ref> The fibreglass fireplaces from the film remain in the great hall, covering 18th-century white marble fireplaces from the demolished [[Wanstead House]] in east London.<ref name='guidebook'>{{cite book|title=Chillingham Castle Room & Grounds Guide|first=Humphry|last=Wakefield|publisher=Chillingham Castle}}</ref>
⚫
As of 2020, sections of the castle are open to the public including for late night ghost tours, and eight apartments within the castle and its outbuildings are available for holiday rentals.<ref name=DT-Duncan />

⚫
As of 2020, sections of the castle are open to the public including for late-night ghost tours, and eight apartments within the castle and its outbuildings are available for holiday rentals.<ref name=DT-Duncan />


==Chillingham's ghosts==
==Chillingham's ghosts==
[[Image:Lady berkeley.jpg|thumb|upright|Lady Mary Berkeley, whose ghost is said to be faintly heard in the monarchc]]
[[Image:Lady berkeley.jpg|thumb|upright=1.205|Lady Mary Berkeley, whose ghost is said to be heard in the castle (very faintly)]]
The current owners market the castle as being the most haunted castle in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chillingham-castle.com/Ghosts.asp?S=3&V=1&P=3 |title=Ghosts |website=Chillingham Castle |accessdate=9 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009093630/http://www.chillingham-castle.com/Ghosts.asp?S=3&V=1&P=3 |archive-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3626296/The-ghosts-of-a-chance.html |title=The ghosts of a chance |first=Mary |last=Wakefield |date=29 October 2004 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |accessdate=9 October 2017}}</ref> It has been investigated on television, ''[[Most Haunted]]'',<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/castle-s-ghostly-reputation-leads-to-expansion-plans-1-227421 |first=Ian |last=Smith |title=Castle's ghostly reputation leads to expansion plans |newspaper=Berwick Advertiser |date=12 April 2007 |accessdate=9 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009092707/http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/castle-s-ghostly-reputation-leads-to-expansion-plans-1-227421 |archive-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''[[I'm Famous and Frightened!]]'', ''[[Scariest Places On Earth]]'', ''[[Holiday Showdown]]'', ''[[Alan Robson|Alan Robson's]] Nightowls'', ''[[The ParaPod]]'', ''[[Ghost Hunters International]]'', and ''A Blood Red Sky'' (2013). Some of these ghosts are referred to in a 1925 pamphlet by Leonora, [[Earl of Tankerville|Countess of Tankerville]]. Others, such as John Sage, are of more recent invention.
The current owners market the castle as being the most haunted castle in Britain.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chillingham-castle.com/Ghosts.asp?S=3&V=1&P=3 |title=Ghosts |website=Chillingham Castle |accessdate=9 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009093630/http://www.chillingham-castle.com/Ghosts.asp?S=3&V=1&P=3 |archive-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/3626296/The-ghosts-of-a-chance.html |title=The ghosts of a chance |first=Mary |last=Wakefield |date=29 October 2004 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |accessdate=9 October 2017}}</ref> It has been visited by the ''[[Most Haunted]]'' TV show.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/castle-s-ghostly-reputation-leads-to-expansion-plans-1-227421 |first=Ian |last=Smith |title=Castle's ghostly reputation leads to expansion plans |newspaper=Berwick Advertiser |date=12 April 2007 |accessdate=9 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009092707/http://www.berwick-advertiser.co.uk/news/castle-s-ghostly-reputation-leads-to-expansion-plans-1-227421 |archive-date=9 October 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The most famous [[ghost]] of the castle is the "blue (or radiant) boy", who according to the owners used to haunt the Pink Room in the castle.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/northernengland/722527/Northumberland-Castles-knight-in-shining-armour.html |title=Northumberland: Castle's knight in shining armour |first=Anne |last=Campbell Dixon |date=24 June 2000 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |accessdate=9 October 2017}}</ref>

The most famous [[ghost]] of the castle is the "blue (or radiant) boy", who according to the owners used to haunt the Pink Room in the castle.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/uk/northernengland/722527/Northumberland-Castles-knight-in-shining-armour.html |title=Northumberland: Castle's knight in shining armour |first=Anne |last=Campbell Dixon |date=24 June 2000 |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |accessdate=9 October 2017}}</ref> Guests supposedly reported seeing blue flashes and a blue "halo" of light above their beds after a loud wail. It is claimed that the hauntings ceased after renovation work revealed a young boy inside a {{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=off|adj=mid|-thick}} wall. Documents dating back to the [[Spanish Armada]] were reportedly also found within the wall.


==In literature==
==In literature==
In the novel ''[[The Bride of Lammermoor]]'' (1819) by [[Sir Walter Scott]], Chillingham Castle is singled out as a last refuge for an ancient breed of Scottish cattle. The castle and cattle served as inspiration for [[Eva Ibbotson|Eva Ibbotson's]] 2005 children's book, ''[[The Beasts of Clawstone Castle]]''.<ref name="Journal">{{cite news |last=Whetstone |first=David |date=17 May 2005 |title=Eva just gets better |url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/culture/theatre/eva-just-gets-better-4617576 |newspaper=[[The Journal (newspaper)|The Journal]] |location=Newcastle Upon Tyne |access-date=15 February 2015}}</ref><ref name="Scotsman">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Obituary: Eva Ibbotson |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-eva-ibbotson-writer-1-826121 |newspaper=The Scotsman |location=Edinburgh |date=25 October 2010 |access-date=15 February 2015}}</ref>
In the novel ''[[The Bride of Lammermoor]]'' (1819) by [[Sir Walter Scott]], Chillingham Castle is singled out as a last refuge for an ancient breed of Scottish cattle. The castle and cattle served as inspiration for [[Eva Ibbotson|Eva Ibbotson's]] 2005 children's book, ''[[The Beasts of Clawstone Castle]]''.<ref name="Journal">{{cite news |last=Whetstone |first=David |date=17 May 2005 |title=Eva just gets better |url=http://www.thejournal.co.uk/culture/theatre/eva-just-gets-better-4617576 |newspaper=[[The Journal (Newcastle upon Tyne newspaper)|The Journal]] |location=Newcastle Upon Tyne |access-date=15 February 2015 |archive-date=15 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215183816/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/culture/theatre/eva-just-gets-better-4617576 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Scotsman">{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Obituary: Eva Ibbotson |url=http://www.scotsman.com/news/obituaries/obituary-eva-ibbotson-writer-1-826121 |newspaper=The Scotsman |location=Edinburgh |date=25 October 2010 |access-date=15 February 2015}}</ref>

Chillingham Castle is the setting for the 2019 murder-mystery novel “Ryan’s Christmas” by [[LJ Ross]].<ref>{{cite web|title=James Douglas, Chillingham Castle|url=https://ljrossauthor.com/james-douglas-chillingham-castle/|first=LJ|last=Ross|website=LJ Ross|date=2 November 2023 |access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Ryan's Christmas: A DCI Ryan Mystery by LJ Ross ~ Christmas can be murder…|url=https://betweenthelinesbookblog.com/2020/01/06/ryans-christmas-a-dci-ryan-mystery-by-lj-ross-christmas-can-be-murder-ljross_author-bookreview/|first=Cathy|last=Ryan|website=Between the Lines|date=6 January 2020|access-date=1 July 2024}}</ref>


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
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File:Chillingham Castle Garden.jpg|Italian garden from the battlements
File:Chillingham Castle Garden.jpg|Italian garden from the battlements
File:Chillingham Castle, Chapel Window (34448467795).jpg|Chapel window
File:Chillingham Castle, Chapel Window (34448467795).jpg|Chapel window
File:Roman breed of cattle (18703665186).jpg|Chillingham cattle
File:Roman breed of cattle (18703665186).jpg|[[Chillingham cattle]]
File:Mounted statue and woodland ride, Chillingham Castle.jpg|Statue of [[Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough|Viscount Gough]]
File:Mounted statue and woodland ride, Chillingham Castle.jpg|Statue of [[Hugh Gough, 1st Viscount Gough|Viscount Gough]], relocated from Dublin
File:Chillingham-symbol.jpg|'Bat' weather vane on top of castle
File:Chillingham-symbol.jpg|'Bat' weather vane on top of castle
</gallery>
</gallery>
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[[Category:Grey family residences]]
[[Category:Grey family residences]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Historic house museums in Northumberland]]
[[Category:Reportedly haunted castles]]
[[Category:Reportedly haunted houses]]
[[Category:Reportedly haunted locations in North East England]]
[[Category:Reportedly haunted locations in North East England]]

Latest revision as of 23:31, 12 December 2024

Chillingham Castle
The north front
Chillingham Castle is located in Northumberland
Chillingham Castle
Location within Northumberland
General information
TypeCastle
LocationChillingham, Northumberland, England
Coordinates55°31′34″N 1°54′18″W / 55.526°N 1.905°W / 55.526; -1.905
Construction started12th century
OwnerSir Humphry Wakefield, 2nd Baronet
Other information
Number of suites8
Website
chillingham-castle.com

Chillingham Castle is a medieval castle in the village of Chillingham in the northern part of Northumberland, England. It was the seat of the Grey and Bennet (later Earls of Tankerville) families from the 15th century until the 1980s, when it became the home of Sir Edward Humphry Tyrrell Wakefield, 2nd Baronet, who is married to a member of the original Grey family.

A large enclosed park in the castle grounds is home to the Chillingham cattle, a rare breed, consisting of about 130 head of white cattle.[1]

The castle is a Grade I listed building.[2] In addition to the castle itself, a number of structures on the grounds of the castle are listed Grade II on the National Heritage List for England. These include the West Lodge and gateway,[3] the garden wall to the west,[4] the gateway and garden wall to the north,[5] the gateway and garden wall to the south east,[6] and the garden wall to the west.[7]

A pair of urns in the Italian Garden are also listed Grade II.[8]

History

[edit]
A 19th-century view of the castle from the south

The castle was originally a monastery in the late 12th century. In 1298, King Edward I stayed at the castle on his way to Scotland to battle a Scottish army led by William Wallace. A glazed window in a frame was specially installed for the king, a rarity in such buildings at the time.

The castle occupied a strategically important location in medieval times: it was located on the border between two feuding nations. It was used as a staging post for English armies entering Scotland, but was also repeatedly attacked and besieged by Scottish armies and raiding parties heading south. The site contained a moat, and in some locations the fortifications were 12 feet (3.7 metres) thick.

The building underwent a harsh series of enhancements, and in 1344 a Licence to crenellate was issued by King Edward III to allow battlements to be built, effectively upgrading the stronghold to a fully fortified castle, of quadrangular form.

The castle from the east, across its Italian Garden

At the Union of the Crowns, Anne of Denmark, Queen of Scotland, and her children stayed in the castle on their way to London on 6 June 1603.[9] A poem celebrating her welcome at Chillingham was probably written by her secretary, William Fowler.[10] In 1617, James I, whose reign unified the crowns of England and Scotland (James I of England was also James VI of Scotland), stayed at the castle on a journey between his two kingdoms. As relations between the two countries became peaceful following the union of the crowns, the need for a military stronghold in the area declined. The castle was gradually transformed; the moat was filled, and battlements were converted into residential wings. A banquet hall and a library were built.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, the grounds underwent landscaping, including work carried out by Sir Jeffry Wyattville. The once extensive park is now under a separate ownership from the castle.[11]

The Prince and Princess of Wales stayed at Chillingham Castle en route to Scotland, in 1872.[12]

The Great hall, used as a filming location for the 1998 historical film Elizabeth. The medieval-style fireplaces are film props.

During the Second World War, the castle was used as an army barracks. During this time, much of the decorative wood is said to have been stripped out and burned by the soldiers billeted there. After the war, the castle began to fall into disrepair. Lead had been removed from the roof, resulting in extensive weather damage to large parts of the building.

The castle and estate remained linked with the Earls of Tankerville until Peter Bennett, 10th Earl of Tankerville, succeeded in 1980. Soon after this, the landed estate was broken up and sold.[13]

In 1982, the castle was bought by Sir Humphry Wakefield, 2nd Baronet, whose wife Catherine is descended from the Greys of Chillingham, and Wakefield set about a painstaking restoration of the castle.[11]

In 1997, the castle was used as a filming location for the film Elizabeth, featuring as Leith Castle and as the hunting lodge.[14] The fibreglass fireplaces from the film remain in the great hall, covering 18th-century white marble fireplaces from the demolished Wanstead House in east London.[15]

As of 2020, sections of the castle are open to the public including for late-night ghost tours, and eight apartments within the castle and its outbuildings are available for holiday rentals.[11]

Chillingham's ghosts

[edit]
Lady Mary Berkeley, whose ghost is said to be heard in the castle (very faintly)

The current owners market the castle as being the most haunted castle in Britain.[16][17] It has been visited by the Most Haunted TV show.[18] The most famous ghost of the castle is the "blue (or radiant) boy", who according to the owners used to haunt the Pink Room in the castle.[19]

In literature

[edit]

In the novel The Bride of Lammermoor (1819) by Sir Walter Scott, Chillingham Castle is singled out as a last refuge for an ancient breed of Scottish cattle. The castle and cattle served as inspiration for Eva Ibbotson's 2005 children's book, The Beasts of Clawstone Castle.[20][21]

Chillingham Castle is the setting for the 2019 murder-mystery novel “Ryan’s Christmas” by LJ Ross.[22][23]

[edit]
  • The south front
    The south front
  • Inside the courtyard
    Inside the courtyard
  • Italian garden from the battlements
    Italian garden from the battlements
  • Chapel window
    Chapel window
  • Chillingham cattle
    Chillingham cattle
  • Statue of Viscount Gough, relocated from Dublin
    Statue of Viscount Gough, relocated from Dublin
  • 'Bat' weather vane on top of castle
    'Bat' weather vane on top of castle

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Stables, Daniel (16 September 2021). "A British beast rarer than the panda". BBC Future. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
  2. ^ Historic England, "Chillingham Castle (1042387)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 May 2020
  3. ^ Historic England, "West Lodge and gateway to Chillingham Castle (1042394)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 May 2020
  4. ^ Historic England, "Garden wall to west of Chillingham Castle (1042388)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 May 2020
  5. ^ Historic England, "Gateway and garden wall to north of Chillingham Castle (1232691)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 May 2020
  6. ^ Historic England, "Garden wall and gateway south east of Chillingham Castle (1232716)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 May 2020
  7. ^ Historic England, "Garden wall to west of drive circa 100 yards north west of Chillingham Castle (1370908)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 May 2020
  8. ^ Historic England, "Pair of sandstone urns in the Italian Garden, Chillingham Castle (1232847)", National Heritage List for England, retrieved 31 May 2020
  9. ^ HMC Salisbury Hatfield, vol. 15 (London, 1930), p. 126.
  10. ^ Allison L. Steenson, The Hawthornden Manuscripts of William Fowler (Routledge, 2021), 39–40, 193–195.
  11. ^ a b c Duncan, Fiona (7 December 2005). "Britain: As if to the manor born (part 2)". The Daily Telegraph.
  12. ^ "The Prince and Princess of Wales in Edinburgh". Berwickshire News and General Advertiser. 22 October 1872.
  13. ^ Chillingham, Northumberland County Council, accessed 13 January 2023
  14. ^ "Elizabeth : 1997". Movie Locations. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
  15. ^ Wakefield, Humphry. Chillingham Castle Room & Grounds Guide. Chillingham Castle.
  16. ^ "Ghosts". Chillingham Castle. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  17. ^ Wakefield, Mary (29 October 2004). "The ghosts of a chance". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  18. ^ Smith, Ian (12 April 2007). "Castle's ghostly reputation leads to expansion plans". Berwick Advertiser. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  19. ^ Campbell Dixon, Anne (24 June 2000). "Northumberland: Castle's knight in shining armour". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  20. ^ Whetstone, David (17 May 2005). "Eva just gets better". The Journal. Newcastle Upon Tyne. Archived from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  21. ^ "Obituary: Eva Ibbotson". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 25 October 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2015.
  22. ^ Ross, LJ (2 November 2023). "James Douglas, Chillingham Castle". LJ Ross. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  23. ^ Ryan, Cathy (6 January 2020). "Ryan's Christmas: A DCI Ryan Mystery by LJ Ross ~ Christmas can be murder…". Between the Lines. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
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