Bamburgh Castle dates back as far as AD 547

An imposing sight, today it belongs to the Armstrong family and is a family home, although open to the public. It is a Grade 1 listed building and deservedly so.

A Norman stronghold, constructed in 1095, it stands high above stunning white sands, looking out over the tempestuous North Sea, atop a basalt crag.

Its stunning location and its impressive beauty have made it the star of a number of films. The last, unforgettable scene of El Cid, starring Charlton Heston, in which the deceased Cid is strapped to his horse to lead out his troops, who are unaware he is dead, is a wonderful showcase for the castle and its location.

Even if you’re not a ghost fan, Bamburgh should be on your list of places to visit. It is well worth the effort.

Today, the Armstrong family are reputed to share their family seat with a variety of ghosts.

Two of them are said to be the wraiths of tragic young women.

The Pink Lady of Legend was a Northumbrian princess. It is said she had fallen in love with a local boy, a commoner. Her father, the king was horrified by this and when she refused to give him up, he had him sent abroad, forbidding any contact between the two. His hope that his daughter would soon forget her love, was in vain. She remained steadfast, vowing to wait until he returned. Her father then told her that spies had reported his marriage to a woman abroad.

To cheer her up, he had a beautiful gown made in her favourite colour, a deep shade of pink. She donned the gown and climbed the stone staircase to the highest battlement from where she threw herself to her death on the rocks below.

It is said that her lover then returned, unmarried and heartbroken to learn of her death. Sadly, nothing more is known of his fate but every seven years, the sad figure of a lady dressed in pink is said to wander about the most ancient parts of the castle. She is then said to ‘glide’ down the steep, rocky path to the white sands to stare longingly out to sea, waiting for a lover who never returns.

The second tragic lady is known as Green Jane because of the striking emerald-coloured cloak she wears. Legend has it that Jane was sent to the castle by her starving family to beg for help. She carried her baby up to the castle from the treacherous Miller’s Nick, where she was met by jeers from the unhelpful guards. It is thought she may have stumbled and lost her footing and fell down the stone steps where both she and her baby perished.

There have been numerous sightings reported of a young lady, carrying a bundle, stumbling and falling down the steep stone steps near the Clock Tower. When people who have witnessed this rush to help her there is no sign of her or her bundle.

Cries from a distressed baby can also be heard in empty parts of the castle.

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