Etal Castle

We visited Etal Castle during the last week of September. After arriving at the airport, we decided to order a cab. The driver was waiting as we stepped outside the terminal. He was a courteous man and a skilled driver. Additionally, his car was well-kept and in fantastic condition. The ride went well. We appreciate company for making our journey enjoyable and memorable. Then we went towards the castle. Etal is a wonderful illustration of a little castle near the Scottish-English border. It is located in an area that was formerly wild and dangerous, where fighting and raids were frequent during the Middle Ages. Except for the flanking towers, which originally had three storeys, the gatehouse is two stories high. The doorway may have had a drawbridge and a fighting gallery made of projecting timber that is both no longer present.

A portcullis and the gate passage, which had two guardrooms connected by opposing doors, were located behind the drawbridge. A spacious room on the first floor, which may have served as a church based on the intricate tracery of its windows, contained a winch for working the drawbridge and portcullis. The lord's family's living quarters were located in the sturdy, four-story tower house. A spiral staircase housed in a rebuilding, of which only the foundation remains, connected each storey. It had a portcullis at the entrance. The Manners family's private apartment was located on the second story, while the first floor served as the hall where meals were served and business was done. The third floor may have been used by the castle warriors. To make it simpler for people to access the hall, a second entrance was created at the first-floor level.

It had an exterior wooden stair. The curtain wall of the castle is mostly gone, however, the south side still has a sizable portion of it. It was designed to discourage raiding expeditions, but it was never durable enough to withstand firearms, and it would have fallen apart under gunfire after cannons became widely used in the later 14th century. For this reason, the garrison swiftly submitted to the Scottish army in 1513 (see below).On protruding stones around the wall, a high parapet wall was constructed from which the defenders could launch missiles at the enemy. The southwest corner tower's ground floor still exists, and a doorway leading into a vaulted ground-floor room is present.

This castle was taken by the Scots in 1513 during James IV's unsuccessful attempt to invade England, although it was soon returned after his defeat at the Battle of Flodden. The castle's ruins primarily date to the 14th century, when it belonged to the Manners, a well-known local family. After the 1603 merger of the English and Scottish Crowns, it fell into decay. One of my favourite historical sites in the border area was this one. The total village is a joy, with a charming thatched bar just outside the castle gate and the peaceful River Till trickling by. The location is excellent. The castle is nevertheless a treat to visit even though it is not quite as finished as, say, Aydon Castle. Take the quick excursion to the nearby Flodden battlefield if you have the time. It's only a few minutes away.