Built on a dolerite outcrop, the location was previously home to a fort of the native Britons. However, the Normans built a new castle on the site, which forms the core of the present one. It is believed that Henry II built the keep. As an important English outpost, the castle was the target of occasional raids from Scotland. During the Wars of the Roses, it became the first castle in England to be defeated by artillery. Bamburgh Castle belongs to the Armstrong family. It is a Grade I listed building and open to the public.

 

The castle is reputedly haunted. Near the library, a "misty apparition" has been reported, and some have claimed to have been tapped on the shoulder by something unseen whilst walking on the stairs there. A "pink lady" has been sighted in the corridors and gliding down a path that leads to the beach. According to Coxe, the castle is also haunted by a knight in armour.