Today we are going to visit the ruins of Barnard Castle. It's much cooler in England and I think you will enjoy the respite if your weather has been anything like our hot, sticky days.
Traveling along the M6 we spot a lovely tree in a sea of green that is just beginning to show its autumnal colors and lovely sheep doting the landscape.
Barnard Castle is a market town (nicknamed Barney) that grew up around the castle. It's located in Teesdale, County Durham, England. Barnard Castle takes its name from Barnard de Balliol its founder from the 12th century.
The castle sits high upon the hill overlooking Tees Gorge and can be seen from miles around.
We drive into the sleepy little town and find a suitable parking spot.
The "Butter Market" or "Market Cross" is in the center of town. It's an interesting building that is the center of the marketplace. It has enjoyed a variety of tenants through the years. From a dairy market, to the Town Hall. to a courtroom, to a lockup, to the firehouse, this building was built in 1747.
There are flowers blooming everywhere in this sweet little village.
As you can see English Heritage takes care of this property.
Sorry about the fly on this sign, but he was quite polite and didn't bother us!
Inside the ruins we wander about imagining what this very large structure must have been like in Medieval times. The Beauchamp family was responsible for the enlargement of the castle. Richard Neville, The Earl of Warwick then took possession of the castle. Barnard was then inherited by Richard III through his wife Anne Neville. The castle fell into ruins a century after his death. The Crown eventually sold the property and its contents in 1626 to Sir Henry Vane. He used the masonry to maintain Raby Castle.
The castle is being taken over by vines along the stone walls. It's lovely, but I'm pretty sure it will break down the walls in the future.
As we walked around the ruins it was obvious this was a very large castle in the day.
These ancient stones are so worn from seeing many days and many storms pass. It would be great if they could talk!
In the center of the castle ruins there is a Sensory Garden.
It's a lovely place that has many varieties of lovely plants to delight your senses.
It's a nice spot to contemplate the past and the future.
As I was doing research on this post I found a very interesting fact. I often take photos out the window as Grayden is driving. Remember that Sir Henry Vane used the stones of Barnard Castle to maintain Raby Castle. I happened to capture a photo of Raby as we were driving to our next destination.
I didn't realize this was Raby Castle until I did this post! ♥
Well that was interesting. Was Raby Castle open to the public? Quite amazing how lovely ruins can be.
ReplyDeleteVee, Raby Castle is open to the public. We did not know about Raby when we were in England and we were headed out of Barnard Castle on our way to another place on our itinerary. If we had known we probably would have included it. ♥
DeleteIt really is amazing that so many of these ancient walls are still standing today. Those worn old walls are still so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThey are, Chip Butter. ♥
DeleteWhat a neat old ruin.. it is heartbreaking to find that they robbed stonework from the old castle to work on another.. too bad it can't be brought back to it's former glory. The Egyptians did the same thing with their pyramids and burial chambers. Have a nice week ahead! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteTeresa, I imagine man has used what was available to build or repair their properties for eons. Grayden and I both wondered why Barnard wasn't worth Sir Henry Vane's standards to rebuild. Maybe Barnard Castle was too far gone at that point. Enjoy your week as well. ♥
DeleteI often wonder as I wander, too, and try to imagine scenes of everyday life happening all around when visiting ruins. So much more left to our imaginations than in a NT property, or similar. I wonder how much of our wonderings are coloured by the old Hollywood films with Errol Flynn and Alan Ladd?
ReplyDeleteBarnards is not dissimilar to Pembroke Castle, home to Henry 7th, founder of the Tudor dynasty, and is currently undergoing an archaeological excavation to learn more about a very unusual feature of a late medieval manor house right in the middle of the castle grounds!
Thank you for another really great post sharing your special holiday.
~~~Waving~~~Deb in Wales xoxo
Deb, I'm sure I am influenced by the old films and tales of Hollywood. They tend to paint lovely pictures of a much easier and grander life. That's exciting to know Pembroke Castle is undergoing an archaeological excavation! What wonderful tales will that uncover? I hope to learn more about it from you, my friend. xoxo ♥
DeleteThose old castle ruins are very evocative indeed. I always wonder what takes the walls could tell if they could talk. Perhaps it’s just as well that they can’t and we are left to come up with our own stories. Lovely series of pictures and an interesting narrative.
ReplyDeleteThank you for visiting, David. I agree, our own made up tales are probably more civil than the ones that really happened. ♥
DeleteWhat a lovely visit to Barnard Castle, Martha Ellen. I absolutely love that picture of the ancient stone and the bridge. That picture got to me for some reason. Pretty flowers blooming in the village. That one photo of the castle with the flag looks like a crown above the ancient wall. The building in the center of the marketplace is charming. It kind of looks like today's gazebos. There is so much history and interesting facts about the places you visit in England. Thanks for taking me along. : )
ReplyDelete~Sheri
Hi Sheri, the "crown" above the stone wall is the church tower peeking at us. One of the best things about travel is all the interesting history we discover. Britain's roads carried us from one history lesson to the next. Thank you for coming along with us as I share our adventure. ♥
DeleteSo nice to read again about your travels in Great Britain. I loved the photos of Northumberland and the Hadrian Wall, we also once followed Hadrian wall. The ruins of Barnard castle and the Sensory garden are photographed wonderful and at the last minute you saw Raby castle. I'm always amazed about the number of castles and ruins over there, they have such a heritage.
ReplyDeleteJanneke, it's truly wonderful that Great Britain takes such pains to preserve their history. It's so important that history be remembered. Thank you for stopping by for a visit. ♥
DeleteLovely photos and just about the time I was thinking, "OH if those walls could talk!" you wrote same. The tree in the first photo...looks like it might be dying as it reminds me of the elms in the mountains. They have a disease and are slowly being killed off; this is how they look amongst the green. Regardless, another beautiful travelogue and greatly appreciated.
ReplyDeleteUmm, you might be right, Sandra. We were traveling along the highway and I just imagined it was turning its leaves for Autumn. I don't know if they have Dutch Elm disease in Britain. Thanks for your insight and for stopping by today. Have a lovely week. ♥
DeleteI enjoyed my visit Martha Ellen:)
ReplyDeleteWhenever I see a ruin I always wish
I could close my eyes and see it in
its former glory.
It looks like a lovely area.
Hope you are having a good week x💙
Fiona, We both agree about wondering about ruins in their former glory as you say. I'm so glad the ruins are left for us to contemplate those that came before us. Have a wonderful week! x ♥
DeleteYou sure saw a lot of fascinating places. It would be so interesting to have a looking glass that would take you through all the years and things that went on there- especially in the days when the castle was newer and active. I love that there was always some kind of garden. Gardening benefits us in so many ways!
ReplyDeleteLiz, I'm sure if we could really see how Barnard Castle was in its earliest days we would be amazed! Visiting and reading about history gives us a sense of the hardships and joys of the people that lived here in the 12th century. We can only imagine!
DeleteGardens are at the heart and soul of Great Britain. It's one of the reasons I adore and respect this beautiful land so much. You would love it! ♥
Love these old ruins. The vines will eventually make it crumble to the ground. Wonderful pictures and history.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Betsy. The ruins of Barnard Castle and its history was so interesting to see. ♥
DeleteMartha Ellen, I rarely visit your space here without learning something new! I have so missed stopping by for some learning and a little chat, but my new laptop came today and I am back in business!! Hope to have time to catch up on all that I have missed!
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I am totally interested in visiting somewhere cooler. :)
Oh Cheryl, it's so nice to see you again! We are on the verge of having to purchase a new laptop as well. We've been saying that for a long time now!
DeleteI'm looking forward to catching up with you. I just heard on the news that the weather will be cooler for the weekend. I can't wait! ♥
I feel like we visited this castle ruin many years ago when our children were young, though I don't remember the garden. We did climb up a short ways to look out a window. I'm sure I have written somewhere where we were, but those notes have been tucked away for years for the day when I have time to read them over! I really hope I do have time soon. Meanwhile, another lovely post about your trip. I'm glad you had that fun discovery about Ruby Castle!
ReplyDeleteDotsie, I hope you get a chance to find out about the castle you visited. It will be fun to hear about that. Finding that photo of Raby Castle in our camera was so exciting for us! If we had known about it we would have stopped to visit. ♥
DeleteWhat a blessing to be able to visit Barnard Castle, for a moment I thought the fly was on my screen. ~smile~
ReplyDeleteRaby Castle seems to be in better condition, I also love English gardens.
Blessings,
Sue
Thank you, Sue. Isn't it amazing the things we discover when we go to post a photo? Raby Castle is in much better condition thanks to Barnard Castle. One of the greatest joys of visiting Britain is seeing their lovely gardens. ♥
DeleteI've seen that name on the map many times, but we've never been to Barnard Castle. I love visiting ruins. Those walls could never withstand Wisconsin winters where the ground freezes solid down as far as 6-8 feet some years. Maybe that's partly why England's ruins hold such a fascination for me. Nice photos. There's always so much to see, never enough time. I enjoyed this post. BTW, just before I read about the fly, I had tried to brush that speck from my phone. Lol
ReplyDeleteI wondered if you had visited Barnard Castle, Judy. It's in the area you visit. That's a good point about the ruins of Britain. If they got a freeze as far down as you they would crumble for sure. 6-8 feet is really way down--our's is 20 inches! That fly has made his rounds-sorry! Have a great weekend. ♥
DeleteLovely post Martha Ellen. I enjoyed seeing this beautiful area and the castle. All your photos are splendid and the flowers, I loved those too, and a great header shot.
ReplyDeleteThank you and enjoy your day :)
Thanks for stopping by, Denise. Barnard Castle ruins history was very interesting to us. And the gardens of flowers are always lovely in England. Have a wonderful weekend! ♥
DeleteHello again, just stopping by to thank you for visiting. Always lovely to see you and I do so enjoy visiting here. You have a wonderful weekend too. Looks like we have cooler temperatures. We have the windows open and it is a little bit nippy :)
DeleteIsn't it a wonderful respite from the awful heat and humidity? I'm so looking forward to Autumn this year. Thanks for saying hello. ♥
DeleteYou travel to really interesting and exciting places Martha Ellen! Thanks for the historic tour!
ReplyDeletePilar, we love to travel and especially to England. ♥
DeleteThe ruins and that bridge are the things of dreams, What must it be like to live among-st such wonderful huge bits of history! I wonder if the ppl realize how lucky they are to be surrounded by the richness of their heritage. As a history freak, I would love it!
ReplyDeleteGreat Britain holds the history of many of our pasts, Jeri. The fact that they go to great pains to preserve ruins and ancient places tells me they do know the richness that their land holds. From one fellow history freak to another I agree, you would love it! ♥
DeleteJust the sort of place I like to visit. And I am happy to escape the heat and humidity for a little bit. I hope we are going to a tea house next?
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
We are going to a beautiful city where we will enjoy a lovely meal and a nice cuppa, Amalia. Come along with us, my friend. xo ♥
DeleteIsn't nice to visit old ruins, there is something almost magical about them.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed seeing and reading your post here - thank you.
All the best Jan
Thank you for coming along with us, Jan. Barnard Castle ruins were magical! ♥
DeleteAren't market towns the best with their market crosses? And to think so many have been there for centuries. It looks like a wonderful trip to Barnard Castle.
ReplyDeleteJeanie, it is amazing the history these places enjoy! Barnard Castle was another one of them. ♥
Delete