|
Holiday at any time of the year in a genuine medieval castle with free access to the stunning castle grounds
In a glorious and secluded setting in Northumberland's famously beautiful countryside, Chillingham Castle offers holidaymakers the unbelievable experience of staying in a medieval fortress.
 At first a 12th century stronghold, Chillingham became a fully fortified Castle in the 14th century. This remarkable castle with its alarming dungeons and torture chamber has, since the
1200s, been continuously owned by the family of the Earls
Grey and their relations.
Part
of the castle and the coach house have been converted into comfortable holiday apartments, offering the opportunity for a memorable holiday. The comfortable, spacious and gracious apartments are full of original features, antiques
and works of art.
 The Castle. The castle is surrounded by lawns and formal gardens, including a topiary garden. The
woodland can be carpeted with flowers in the spring and early summer, making the walk to the lake an extraordinary experience.
The
state rooms are brilliantly furnished with both antique and modern furniture and lined with patterned silk
screening hung with paintings and enamels.
A visit to the Torture Chamber is not for the faint hearted. It displays some interesting and gruesome (no longer used!) implements of punishment, including a stretching rack, a bed of nails, a nailed barrel and a spiked chair labelled
with a warning not to sit on it! The castle Dungeon, lighted only by a narrow slit in the thick wall, is marked with the crudely-cut scribbled letters of previous unhappy prisoners.
The Edward 1st Room has been restored as it was in the 13th century with armour, furniture, weapons and implements of its time.
The Most Haunted Castle in Britain
We have a number of ghosts. The most famous is the "blue boy" who as midnight rang out would cry and moan in agony or maybe fear. The noises could be traced to a spot near a passage cut through a ten foot wall. When
the bloodcurdling wails die away a soft halo of light appears around an old four poster bed. Anyone sleeping there, even today, can see the figure of a young boy dressed in blue, and surrounded by light. Behind the wall the bones of a young boy and fragments
of blue clothing were discovered.
Another ghost, Lady Mary Berkeley, searches for her husband, who
ran off with her sister. Lady Mary, desolate and broken hearted lived in the castle by herself with only her baby girl as a companion. The rustle of her dress can be heard as she passes you by in the turret stairs. And there are more!
 Medieval Banquets
The Great Hall was constructed in Tudor days, between two high fortified towers. Hung with arms and armour and with two fire places, it overlooks the South Lawn and fountains. Laid out for a banquet or cleared for a ball, there is an atmosphere of
historic grandeur.
The atmospheric Minstrels' Hall, decorated with
spears, tapestries and the world record head of a prehistoric elk, has two huge fireplaces which make it a magnificent setting for banquets regularly held here.
Both rooms make wonderful settings for a
variety of functions held within the Castle
Weddings at Chillingham Castle
 Chillingham Castle offers something quite extraordinary as a venue for a Wedding Ceremony and/or Reception, where The Great Hall (which is licensed for civil ceremonies) will transport you back in time, with it's
stone flagged floor, armour and armoury, heavy wooden tables and tapestries. The arcaded and cloistered Courtyard, still original in every way, will add an ambience that is surely
unrivalled. Your guests will be greeted on the main Castle steps. We then escort you either to the Minstrel's Hall for reception drinks around the log fires or out into the gardens. The ceremony will take place in the Great Hall. Photographs are usually
taken in the Courtyard or in the extensive gardens.
|
