Bamburgh

Once the capital of the 7th century Kingdom of Northumbria, Bamburgh is now a seaside village dominated by the magnificent Bamburgh Castle overlooking miles of silver sands to the east and the village cricket pitch to the west. The present 12th century castle was a Norman stronghold which played an important role in medieval conflicts . The castle was restored in the late 19th century by Lord Armstrong. 

A place of worship was founded in Bamburgh by St Aidan, who came to Bamburgh from Iona in 635 at the request of King Oswald to establish Christianity in Northumbria. The church standing in the village now dates from the 12th century and continues to be a focus of pilgrimage. Since 2016, the church has also been the resting place for the Bamburgh Bones, remains of over 100 individuals who lived in the area in the 7th and 8th century and were excavated by archaeologists from a cemetery in what is now an area of sand dunes.   

Bamburgh was the home of Grace Darling, whose courageous rescue alongside her father helped to save 9 people from the wreck of the Forfarshire on Inner Farne in 1838. Grace Darling’s memorial is in St Aidan’s churchyard and her story is told in the RNLI Grace Darling Museum in the village.