Ньюкаслский замок: История и архитектура средневековой крепости

11th century English castle

The Castle, Newcastle, or Newcastle Castle is a medieval fortification in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, built on the site of the fortress that gave the City of Newcastle its name. The most prominent remaining structures on the site are the Castle Keep (the castle's main fortified stone tower, pictured below right), and the Black Gate, its fortified gatehouse. Use of the site for defensive purposes dates from Roman times, when it housed a fort and settlement called Pons Aelius (meaning 'bridge of Hadrian'), guarding a bridge over the River Tyne. Robert Curthose, eldest son of William the Conqueror, in 1080 built a wooden motte and bailey style castle on the site of the Roman fort. Curthose built this 'New Castle upon Tyne' after he returned south from a campaign against Malcolm III of Scotland. Henry II built the stone Castle Keep between 1172 and 1177 on the site of Curthose's castle. Henry III added the Black Gate between 1247 and 1250. Nothing remains above ground of the Roman fort or the original motte and bailey castle. The Keep is a Grade I listed building, and a Scheduled Ancient Monument. The Castle Keep and Black Gate pre date the construction of the Newcastle town wall, construction of which started around 1265, and did not include it. The site of the keep is in the centre of Newcastle and lies to the east of Newcastle station. The 75 feet (23 m) gap between the keep and the gatehouse is almost entirely filled by the railway viaduct that carries the East Coast Main Line from Newcastle to Scotland. The keep and Black Gate are now managed by the Old Newcastle Project under the Heart of the City Partnership as one combined visitor attraction, "Newcastle Castle".

In the mid 2nd century, the Romans built the first bridge to cross the River Tyne at the place where Newcastle now stands. The bridge was called Pons Aelius or 'Bridge of Aelius', Aelius being the family name of the Emperor Hadrian, who instigated the building of Hadrian's Wall along the Tyne Solway Gap. The Romans built a fort to protect the river crossing which was at the foot of the Tyne Gorge. The fort was situated on a rocky outcrop overlooking the new bridge. Hadrian's Wall crossed from west to east just north of the Roman fort, somewhere between the two medieval stone monuments of Newcastle Castle and Newcastle Cathedral. It is thought likely that the Wall descended (or ascended) the sloping street called the Side, just to the north of the Black Gate of the castle, described below. At some unknown time in the Anglo Saxon age, the site of Newcastle came to be known as Monkchester, suggesting a monastery at a location still unknown. In the late 7th century, a cemetery was established on the site of the Roman fort. In 1095, Robert de Mowbray, Earl of Northumbria, rose up against William Rufus and Rufus sent an army north to crush the revolt and to capture the castle. During the civil wars at the end of King John's reign, it was under the control of Philip of Oldcoates. Additional protection to the castle was provided late in the 13th century when stone walls were constructed, with towers, to enclose the town. The safety provided by the town walls led to the neglect of the fabric of the castle. In 1589, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I the castle was described as being ruinous. From the early 17th century onward, this situation was made worse by the construction of shops and houses on much of the site. During the 16th to the 18th century, the keep was used as a prison. By 1800, there were a large number of houses within the boundaries of the castle.

In 1809, Newcastle Corporation bought the keep and provided it with a new roof and battlements. In addition the private dwellings within the castle boundaries were demolished. The keep was restored in 1810, 1812 and 1848. In the mid 19th century the arrival of the railway in Newcastle led to a large viaduct being constructed to the north of the keep, crossing the site of the castle. As a result, only the keep and the Black Gate now remain. The original building would probably have had a flat roof, but in 1618 James I leased the gatehouse to a courtier, Alexander Stephenson. Stephenson substantially altered the gatehouse, rebuilding the upper floors. Stephenson then let the Black Gate out to various tenants, one of whom was a merchant, named Patrick Black. It was he who gave his name to the Black Gate. Eventually houses were built along both sides of the passageway, and one part of the building became a public house. By the early part of the nineteenth century, the Black Gate had become a slum tenement, housing up to sixty people. The Castle Keep can be visited today. The keep is also notable in having the main East Coast railway line running through the centre of the grounds. In particular, the battlements offer fine views over the River Tyne quayside, the cathedral and Newcastle station. The castle is reputedly haunted, and has been subject to many paranormal investigations. It featured in an episode of Most Haunted. The Castle Keep and the Black Gate have recently been refurbished by the Heart of the City partnership, and reopened on 21 March 2015 as Newcastle Castle. In addition to improved accessibility via an external lift to the Black Gate, new additions include an education centre, reception/gift shop and museum room in the Black Gate and audio visual installations in the Castle Keep, telling the story of the site and the people who have lived there over the centuries.