The History of Langley Castle
14th Century Splendour
ARCHITECTURE AND BATTLEMENTS TOUR
Join us on the Langley GUIDED
Daily at 10.15am
Tour
£ 4.95 per Adult, Children Free
Booking Essential
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VIEW:
Authentic 14th Century Castle
Magnificent Drawing Room
Extensive Medieval Garderobes
Restored Rooftop Chapel
Rooftop Battlements
Outstanding Views of Countryside
and Hadrian’s Wall
Langley Castle Hotel, Langley on Tyne,
Hexham, Northumberland NE47 5LU
T: 01434 688888 E: manager@langleycastle.com
W: langleycastle.com
Construction
of
Langley
Castle began in 1350 by
Sir Thomas de Lucy and was
completed in 1364. It is not
known if it was Scot raiders,
the Percy family, or King
Henry IV’s own troops that
destroyed the wooden interior
of Langley Castle by fire in
1405, but the 7ft stone walls
remained.
The imposing fortress seen
from the main road between
Haydon Bridge and Alston, was in
its hey-day, the heart of a
barony of some 13,000 acres.
Interior 1882
(unchanged from 1405)
It formed a rough square bounded on the north by
Stanegate, on the east by a line running south from
Allerwash, on the south by Allendale Common and Staward
Woods, and on the west by the Allen River and Whitechapel
Burn. Additionally isolated pockets contained the manors of
Fourstones and Warden to the east and Blenkinsopp and
Featherstone to the west.
In 1882 the Castle
was purchased by
local historian and
former High Sheriff of
Northumberland, Cadwallader Bates, who,
working with his wife,
Josephine, restored
the interior to its
original condition.
Exterior 1882
In 1986 Dr Stuart Madnick purchased Langley Castle, and Langley
Castle was converted it into a luxury Hotel and Restaurant.
Originally there was eight guest bedrooms within the Castle
and two guest bedrooms within Castle View Lodge.
Recently, in 2007, the
titles of Baron of
Langley and Lord of
the Manor of Langley
were reunited with
Langley Castle itself.
(The previous two
barons
were
beheaded and their
titles had been taken
by the Crown.)
Present Day
The Garderobe Tower
This tower is the most
interesting facet of the Castle,
as it was totally dedicated to
Garderobes (medieval latrines)
on an almost monumental
scale.
This lavish provision was a
rare facility in castles and
houses of this period.
There are twelve Garderobes,
four on each floor, each having
a pointed arch to the recess, in
which are stone corbels to
carry the seats.
Garderobe Stairs
The shafts discharged into a
pit below, through which a
stream of water could be diverted to flush it clean.
The number of Garderobes suggests that Langley Castle
was intended from its inception to be well garrisoned, being
more than just a family residence.
Experts
have
reported that the
Garderobes within Langley Castle
are perhaps the
finest remaining
examples of this
type and style of
architecture in
Europe.
The Garderobes
Other Architectural Features
Langley Castle boasts many other architectural features from
the original portcullis boss to a stone spiral staircase. Many
of these may be found on our battlement tour.
Be sure to look for the mason marks.
Portcullis Boss
Spiral Staircase
Stone Arch
Langley Castle Chapel now renamed
“The Cadwallader Bates Memorial Room”
Cadwallader
Bates
began the monumental
task
of
restoration in 1882.
Tragically, he died in
1902, and restoration
was not completed
until 1914 under the
direction of his wife,
Josephine.
Josephine Bates
personally
superThe Chapel 1914
vised the final stages
of Cadwallader’s work and, with the permission of Pope
Leo XIII, built a small Chapel to his memory in the
Southeast tower.
Cadwallader and Josephine Bates are buried not one
hundred yards from the main entrance of the Castle.
A collection of photographs of the reconstruction of Langley
Castle are on display in the Cocktail Bar situated off the
Drawing Room and at the top of the main staircase, next to
the Tower room.
The
Chapel
was
restored
in
2006, in
conjunction
with
English
Heritage, by Dr
Stuart Madnick
and his family.
The Chapel is
currently used
for
Wedding
Blessings and
Baby naming
Ceremonies.
The Chapel - present day
The Langley Castle Battlements
Northumbrian county
has its own flag,
which is known as
one of the oldest
designed flags in
Britain.
It consists of
eight
alternative stripes of
golden and red and is
flown from the top of
The Battlements - flying the
the
Langley
battleNorthumbrian County Standard
ments.
This colour was adopted by the first Earl of Northumberland
during medieval times and this current design was granted to
Northumberland County Council as its banner in 1951. The
Union Jack is also flown from the battlements.
The view to the south from the
battlements
overlooks
the
fountain and the graves of
Cadwallader and Josephine
Bates, on the hill across from
the entrance obscured from
view
by
woodland,
but
accessible by the path to the
left. The graves of Cadwallader
and Josephine Bates are still
tended by the Bates family
today.
To the north lies the village of
Haydon Bridge and the river
To the south
South Tyne.
In the distance you may see the magnificent Hadrians Wall,
begun in AD 122. It is a World Heritage Site.
This puts into perspective the monumental task in its creation
and how it sits in the landscape. Further information on
Hadrians Wall is available from reception.
A small stream feeding into the river South Tyne also runs
across the property.
The Langley Castle Battlements
To the east
In the view to the
east of the Castle,
within its own grounds,
lies a conversion of
the former stables
and coaching house
which became guest
accommodation in
1995, now called
“CastleView.”
Additional guest accommodation
was completed in 2009 at
CastleView.
CastleView
Lodge
completes
the
buildings.
Langley Castle and its 10
acre woodland estate are
Grade 1 listed and as such
are buildings of exceptional
interest. Therefore, Langley
Castle is protected for future
generations.
Location of Langley Castle:
West face of Langley Castle
The west face offers
a great example of the
old irregular original 14th
C brick work giving way
to the machine cut stone
of the restored tower.
The Langley Pavilion’s
modern
architecture,
complete with living
sedum roof, contrasts
with the 14th C
architecture.
The Langley Castle Battlement Tour
Stained glass windows in the Chapel
On the Battlements
To the north
£ 4.95 per Adult
Children Free
Available daily at 10.15 am
(subject to availability- booking essential)
Please allow 30 minutes for the tour.
Coffee, Tea, or Lunch available for purchase
in the Drawing Room after the tour.
T: 01434 688888 or
E: manager@langleycastle.com