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Aydon Castle
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Aydon  


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Aydon Castle, previously sometimes called Aydon Hall, is a fortified manor house at Aydon, near to the town of Corbridge. Almost completely intact, it is one of the finest and most unaltered examples of a 13th century English manor house. There is suprisingly plenty to explore at this little castle than first appears.

The castle is built upon a promontory above the Cor Burn in the early 14th century. Originally it would have been isolated by a ditch 15 feet deep and 30 feet wide, with curtain walls some 4 feet thick as protection against border raids by the Scots.

In 1542 the Carnabys obtained the castle by exchange and renovated it.

In 1751 Sir Edward Blackett, 4th Bt., married Anne Douglas, sole heir of Oley Douglas, whose father had acquired the estates of the once powerful Carnaby family. This brought into Blackett ownership Halton Castle, a pele tower close to Hadrian’s Wall, north of Corbridge, Northumberland, as well as the Matfen estate.

On his marriage Sir Edward also acquired Aydon Castle, about a mile from Halton Castle. The Castle is a particularly fine example of a 13th century English manor house, but was rarely used as such by the Blackett family, instead being used as a farmhouse until its transfer to the Ministry of Works in 1966. It has since been restored by English Heritage to reveal what remains of the 13th century fortified manor house and the 14th century additions.


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Sources for this article include:
  • Historic England
  • Blackett family history

    Any contributions will be gratefully accepted





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    Last modified: Sunday, 08 March 2026