Belsay

Belsay Castle.

Belsay is a village in Northumberland, in England. It is situated to the north-west of Newcastle upon Tyne and Ponteland, on the A696. Belsay is home to Belsay Castle.

It was founded by Scottish nobleman and doctor John de Strivelyn around 1340 when he was granted the property by Edward III. On his death the castle and estate passed to his daughter, who was married to Sir John Middleton, and has remained with the family since.

Belsay has many attractions: a fine medieval castle, enlarged into a mansion in the 17th century; the imposing Greek Revival villa which was built later; and the outstanding, plant-rich gardens linking the two buildings.

The whole ensemble was owned by the Middleton family for more than seven centuries. First came the castle, still dominated by its massive 14th century 'peel tower', one of the best surviving examples in England. Though built as a refuge at a time of endemic Anglo-Scottish warfare, it was also designed to impress: its first-floor great chamber still displays rare traces of elaborate medieval wall paintings.

Following the coming of peace under James I, a column-entranced mansion wing was added to the castle in 1614: here the family lived until Christmas Day 1817, when they moved into Belsay Hall.

Sir Stephen Middleton gave the property to English Heritage around 1980.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to Belsay:

By road: From the south: Take the main A1 trunk road to Newcastle upon Tyne. On the A1 western bypass take the Kenton turn-off (A696) sign posted toward Ponteland. Follow the road on through Ponteland and Belsay is about 10 miles further on. From the north: Leave the A1 at Morpeth and head for the town centre and over the River Wanbeck bridge. At the roundabout take the third exit and head towards Loansdean. About 800 metres after leaving the roundabout you will see the golf club house on the right - turn right immediately after. Follow the road for 8 miles to Belsay.
By rail: The nearest station is Cramlington.
By bus: Very infrequent bus services run from Newcastle Haymarket Bus Station, Morpeth and Ashington. Check before travelling.

Map of area: CLICK HERE

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Embleton

Embleton Bay - miles of golden sand
leading to Dunstanburgh Castle.

Embleton village in the English county of Northumberland is about half-a-mile from the beautiful bay which carries its name. The sandy beach is backed by dunes where a variety of flowers bloom: bluebells, cowslips, burnet roses and, to give it its common name, bloody cranesbill, amongst others. Dunstanburgh Castle stands at the southern end of Embleton Bay. Close by to the south is the pretty fishing village of Craster.

Embleton has an attractive little main street with one shop. There is a small well-kept green with the village pump on it, out of use now but at one time the source of the water supply. The church is large with several interesting features and is historically connected with Merton College, Oxford. Close by is a pele tower - part of what was, until 1974, a fortified vicarage. On the retirement of the then vicar, the Reverend Peter Karney, who was the son of the first bishop of Johannesburg the Right Reverend Arthur Bailey Lumsdaine Karney - the tower passed into private hands and a new vicarage was built nearby. In the vicarage field there is an ancient dovecote. The village hall, the Creighton Memorial Hall, is said to be the largest in the county and is named after a former vicar who became a famous Bishop of London. The hall is the venue for a lot of the social life which goes on there. One road is named after the Embleton-born W. T. Stead, a journalist and social campaigner who lost his life on the RMS Titanic.

Article adapted from the Wikipedia online encyclopedia.

How to get to Embleton:
By road: Take the main A1 trunk road north from Newcastle upon Tyne, to Alnwick. Take the Alnwick exit and follow the road towards Alnwick town centre. From the town centre take the B1340 towards Seahouses and the coast. Embleton is about 8 miles north east of Alnwick.
By rail: The nearest station is Alnmouth.
By bus: Arriva Northumbria service 501 goes from the Haymarket Bus Station in Newcastle via Alnwick to Embleton. In the reverse direction, the 501 goes from Berwick via the coast to Embleton. During the summer months the Coastal Clipper service runs between Bamburgh and Amble, via Embleton.

Map of area: CLICK HERE