of Lindisfarne
Lindisfarne Castle
One of the prominent attractions, the Castle is the outstanding visual feature from the distance. It towers high above the southeastern corner of the island.
An Order in Council issued in 1539 declared that "all havens should be fensed with bulwarks and bloke houses against the Scots". A decade later King Edward VI ordered that survey be carried out to find the best hill or ground "mete for fortification..."
So it was that by 1559 Lindisfarne Castle was built, and a small garrison established, and consisting of a (non-resident) captain, two master gunners (at 1s. per day), a master's mate (10d per day) and ten soldiers (8d per day).
With the 1603 Act of Union, the castle lost its relevance, and in during the Civil War it fell into parliamentary hands. Finally in 1820 the garrison was disbanded.
By the end of that century the castle was falling into disrepair. In 1903 Edward Hudson bought it and commisioned the avant-garde architect Edward Lutyens to renovate it, and convert it into a home to live in. It had several owners before it was given to the National trust in 1944. It contains a fine collection of 17th century Flemish furniture- a showcase for Lutyens' artistic taste. (It is reached by foot from the village; whence also runs a shuttle bus service)
Castle from the harbour
