Editing Dunstanburgh Castle (section)

==Architecture and landscape==

===Landscape===
[[File:Dunstanburgh Castle environ map.jpg|thumb|upright|Surrounding landscape: A – North Mere; B – North Gate; C – earthen bank; D – West Gate; E – West Mere and fishponds; F – dam; G – South Mere; H – South Gate; I – harbour]]
Dunstanburgh Castle occupies a {{convert|68|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} site within a larger {{convert|610|acre|ha|abbr=off|adj=on}} body of National Trust land along the coast.<ref>{{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|pp=4, 7}}</ref> The castle is situated on a prominent headland, part of the Great [[Whin Sill]] geological formation.<ref name="oswald4">{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=4}}</ref> On the south side of the castle there is a gentle slope across low-lying, boggy ground, but along the northern side, the Gull Crag cliffs form a natural barrier up to {{convert|30|m|adj=on}} high.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=17}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=4}}</ref> The cliffs are punctuated by various defiles, formed from weaknesses in the black [[basalt]] rock, including the famous Rumble Churn.<ref name="oswald4"/>

The landscape around the castle was carefully designed in the 14th century as a [[Deer park (England)|deer park]] or planned [[borough]], and would have looked similar to those at the contemporary castles of [[Framlingham Castle|Framlingham]], [[Kenilworth Castle|Kenilworth]], [[Leeds Castle|Leeds]] and [[Whittington Castle|Whittington]]; in particular, Kenilworth may have been a specific model for Dunstanburgh.<ref>{{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|p=42}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|pp=93, 95}}</ref> The area around the castle was dominated by three shallow artificial lakes, called [[mere (lake)|mere]]s, and accessed by three gates on the north, west and south sides.<ref name="Middleton 2009 44">{{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|p=44}}</ref>{{refn|Earlier scholarship had suggested that the meres were originally saltwater inlets, linked by the moat of the north mere, and connected to the sea at either end. The 2003 investigations at the site comprehensively disproved this theory, showing the meres to have always been freshwater lakes.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|pp=65, 73}}</ref>|group="nb"}} The meres were fed from a freshwater [[Spring (hydrology)|spring]] {{convert|2,000|ft|m}} inland, linked to the meres by an underground stone channel.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=65}}</ref> The meres were originally bounded by a [[sod]]-cast boundary bank and ditch; today this is heavily eroded, and up to {{convert|3|ft|3|in|m|adj=on}} high.<ref name="Middleton 2009 44"/> The main route by land into the castle would have been from the village of Embleton, through the West Gate.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=34}}</ref>

The North Mere is {{convert|5.6|acre|ha|abbr=off}} in area, and is blocked off on its northern end by a sod-cast bank, adjacent to the site of the North Gate.<ref>{{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|p=43}}</ref> The southern half takes the form of a {{convert|331|ft|m|adj=on}} long moat, which was recorded as being {{convert|18|ft|m}} deep in the medieval period, terminating in the West Gate.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=22}}; {{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|p=43}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=70}}</ref> The northern part of this mere occasionally floods in the 21st century, creating a temporary lake, and the moated section usually still contains some standing water.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=22, 40}}</ref> The West Mere, covering {{convert|2.25|acre|ha|abbr=off}}, stretches away from the location of West Gate and is blocked at the far end by a small, stone dam.<ref>{{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|p=43}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=22}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=70}}</ref> Three rectangular [[fish pond|fishponds]] were built alongside the West Mere, the smallest, probably a [[stew pond]] for raising young fish, being fed with water from the lake.<ref>{{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|pp=43–44}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=71}}</ref> A protective earthen bank, probably originally reinforced by a timber [[palisade]], ran for approximately {{convert|490|ft|m}} along either side of the West Gate, where a gatehouse was probably built.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=22}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=64}}</ref> At the far end of the lake complex was the South Mere, {{convert|2.25|acre|ha|abbr=off}} in size, with the South Gate positioned in its eastern corner.<ref name="Middleton 2009 44"/>

A harbour was built south-east of the castle, which would originally have been used to receive first building materials, then later senior members of the castle household or important guests.<ref name="oswald12">{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=12}}</ref> All that remains of the harbour is its {{convert|246|ft|m|adj=on}} quay, built from basalt boulders, and it may not have been in frequent use during the medieval period, since it could only have been safely used during periods of good weather.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=12}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=80}}</ref> West of the castle is a later [[shieling]], the earthwork remains of a [[longhouse]].<ref name="Middleton 2009 48">{{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|p=48}}</ref> South of this is a rectangular earthwork, with walls over {{convert|3|ft|3|in|m}} high, which may have been a siege fortification from 1462.<ref>{{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|pp=48–49}}</ref> If this is such siege work, it would be a unique survival in England from this period.<ref name="Middleton 2009 48"/>

===Architecture===
[[File:Map of Dunstanburgh Castle.png|thumb|300px|Plan of the castle: A – North Sea; B – Rumbling Churn; C – gateway to Castle Point; D – Gull Crag; E – Lilburn Tower; F – Outer bailey; G – Grange; H – Postern Gate; I – Huggam's House; J – John of Gaunt's Gatehouse; K – Inner bailey; L – Constable's House; M – Egyncleugh Tower; N – Queen Margaret's Cove; O – Great Gatehouse; P – Constable's Tower]]
Dunstanburgh Castle's buildings are located around the outside of the fortification's outer bailey, enclosed by a stone curtain wall, which enclose {{convert|9.96|acre}}, making it the largest castle in Northumberland.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=61}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=96}}</ref> Possibly from the very start of the castle, and certainly by the 1380s, the castle buildings formed three distinct complexes supporting the Earl's household, the castle's constable and the administration of the Embleton barony respectively.<ref name="oswald96">{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=96}}</ref> The inside of the bailey still shows the marks of former [[strip farming]], which can be seen in winter.<ref name="oswald12"/>

The southern and western parts of the walls were originally faced with a local [[ashlar]] [[sandstone]] with a core of basalt rubble; the sandstone was mostly quarried at [[Howick, Northumberland|Howick]].<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=5, 15–16, 19}}; {{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|p=13}}</ref> The sandstone has since been stripped from the western parts of the wall, and the sandstone along the eastern end of the walls gives way to small [[limestone]] blocks, originally only laid {{convert|11|ft|m}} high with a {{convert|4|ft|11|in|m|adj=on}} parapet, but later raised in height with additional basalt boulders, probably during the Wars of the Roses.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=5, 15–16, 19}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=60}}</ref> It is uncertain if the curtain wall originally extended above the cliffs along the northern edge of the castle.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=17}}</ref>{{refn|There are historical references in 1543 to a former wall running along the north side of the castle, but it was already being described as having been eroded by the sea many years before, and the assertion that it originally existed may not be authoritative. It is also uncertain whether this statement referred to a defensive curtain wall, of which no trace remains, or a simpler wall to protect livestock. Some erosion of the cliffs has occurred since the castle was first built, but little has occurred since 1861 and it is far from certain that sufficient erosion would have taken place to have destroyed any original walls.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=60}}</ref>|group="nb"}}

Moving anticlockwise around the curtain wall from the north-west, the rectangular Lilburn Tower looks out across Embleton beach.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=18}}</ref> The tower was named after an early castle constable, John de Lilburn, but may have been built under Thomas of Lancaster; it was intended as a high-status residence, {{convert|59|ft|m}} high, {{convert|30|ft}} square with {{convert|6|ft|adj=on}} thick walls, with a guardroom for soldiers on the ground floor.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=18}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=17}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=55}}</ref> The rectangular towers at Dunstanburgh reflects the local tradition in Northumberland, and are similar to those at nearby Alnwick.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/dunstanburgh-castle/history-and-research/significance/ | title=Significance of Dunstanburgh Castle|mode=cs2 |access-date=23 August 2014 | publisher=English Heritage}}; {{cite web | url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/dunstanburgh-castle/history-and-research/research/ | title=Research on Dunstanburgh Castle|mode=cs2 |access-date=23 August 2014 | publisher=English Heritage}}</ref> Further along the wall there are the remains of a small tower, called Huggam's House by local tradition.<ref name="oswald5">{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=19}}</ref> Earthworks around the inside of the curtain wall suggest that there may once have been a complex of buildings stretching between Lilburn Tower and Huggam's House.<ref name="oswald5"/>

On the southwest corner of the walls are the castle gatehouses. The most prominent of these is the Great Gatehouse, a massive three-storey fortification, comprising two drum-shaped towers of ashlar stone; originally {{convert|79|ft|m}} high.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=5, 7, 10}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=16}}; {{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=249}}</ref> This was heavily influenced by the Edwardian gatehouses in North Wales, such as that at [[Harlech Castle|Harlech]], but contains unique features, such as the frontal towers, and is considered by historians Alastair Oswald and Jeremy Ashbee to be "one of the most imposing structures in any English castle".<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=5, 7}}; {{cite web | url=http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/daysout/properties/dunstanburgh-castle/history-and-research/significance/ | title=Significance of Dunstanburgh Castle|mode=cs2 |access-date=23 August 2014 | publisher=English Heritage}}</ref> In the 1380s this gatehouse was further strengthened with a {{convert|31|ft|m|adj=on}} long barbican, of which only the rubble foundations now survive, around {{convert|2|ft|4|in|m}} high.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=5}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=14}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|pp=40–41}}</ref>

The passageway through the gatehouse was protected by a [[portcullis]] and possibly a set of wooden gates.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=6}}</ref> The ground floor contained two guardrooms, each {{convert|21|ft|adj=on}} wide, and latrines, with [[spiral staircase]]s in the corner of the gatehouse running up to the first floor, where relatively well-lit chambers with fireplaces probably accommodated the garrison's officers.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=6–8}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=15}}</ref> The staircases continued up to the second floor, containing the castle's great hall, an antechamber, and bedchamber, originally intended for the use of Thomas of Lancaster and his family.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=8–10}}</ref> Four towers extended above the gatehouse's lead-covered roof for an additional two storeys of height, giving extensive views of the surrounding area.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=5, 9–10}}</ref> This design may have influenced the construction of Henry IV's gatehouse at [[Lancaster Castle]].<ref>{{harvnb|Goodall|2011|p=342}}</ref>

[[File:Plan of Dunstanburgh Castle gatehouse.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Plan of the Great Gatehouse]]
Immediately to the west of the Great Gatehouse is John of Gaunt's Gatehouse, originally either two or three storeys tall, but now only surviving at the foundation level.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=19–20}}</ref> This gatehouse replaced the Great Gatehouse as the main entrance, and would have contained a [[Porter (college)|porter]]'s lodge, defended by a combination of a portcullis and an {{convert|82|ft|m|adj=on}} long barbican.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=20}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=14}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=51}}</ref> A inner bailey was approximately {{convert|50|by|75|ft|m}}, defended by a {{convert|20|ft|m|adj=on}} high mantlet wall, was constructed in the 1380s behind John of Gaunt's Gatehouse and the Great Gatehouse.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=20}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=16}}</ref> This complex comprised a vaulted inner gatehouse, {{convert|30|ft|adj=on}} square, and six buildings, including an [[antechamber]], kitchen and [[bakehouse]].<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=20–21}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=16}}</ref>

Further along, the south side of the walls is the Constable's Tower, a square tower containing comfortable accommodation for the castle's constable, including stone window seats.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=14}}</ref> On the inside of the walls are the foundations of a [[hall]] and chamber, built before 1351, part of a larger complex of buildings used by the constable and his household, approximately {{convert|60|ft|adj=on}} square.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=14}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=20}}</ref> To the west of the Constable's Tower is a small turret that projects from the upper wall – an unusual feature, similar to that at [[Pickering Castle]] – and a mural [[garderobe]]; and to the east a small oblong turret with a single chamber, {{convert|10.75|by|7.5|ft|m}}.<ref>{{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|pp=20–21}}; {{harvnb|Goodall|2011|pp=249, 453}}</ref>

In the south-east corner of the walls, the Egyncleugh Tower – whose name means "eagle's ravine" in the Northumbrian dialect – overlooks Queen Margaret's Cove below.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=15}}</ref>{{refn|The Egyncleugh Tower was also called the Margaret Tower for a period, after Queen Margaret's Cove below.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=54}}</ref>|group="nb"}} A three-storey, square building, {{convert|25|ft|adj=on}} across, Egyncleugh Tower was designed to house a castle official, and included a small gateway and drawbridge into the castle, either for the use of the castle constable, or possibly for the local people.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=15}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=20}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=55}}</ref>

There is a postern gate in the eastern wall, added in the 1450s, and a further gateway in the north-eastern corner, which gave access to Castle Point and Gull Crag below.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=15, 17}}</ref> Along the inside of the curtain walls are the foundations of a yard, {{convert|200|by|100|ft|m}}, and a large rectangular building, usually identified as a [[Monastic grange|grange]] or a [[barn]].<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=16–17}}; {{harvnb|Blair|Honeyman|1955|p=18}}</ref> This would have probably supported the administration of the Embleton estates, and have included the auditor's chamber and other facilities.<ref name="oswald96"/>

===Interpretation===
[[File:Dunstanburgh Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1716666.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Dunstanburgh Castle, reflected in the remains of the southern mere]]
Early analysis of Dunstanburgh Castle focused on its qualities as a military, and a defensive site, but more recent work has emphasised the symbolic aspects of its design and the surrounding landscape.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|pp=92–93}}</ref> Although the castle was intended as a secure bolt-hole for Thomas of Lancaster should events go awry in the south of England, it was, however "clearly not an inconspicuous hiding place", as the English Heritage research team have pointed out: it was a spectacular construction, located in the centre of a huge, carefully designed medieval landscape.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=93}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=22–23}}</ref> The meres surrounding the castle would have reflected the castle walls and towers, turning the outcrop into a virtual island and producing what the historians Oswald and Ashbee have called "an awe-inspiring and beautiful sight".<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=23}}; {{harvnb|Middleton|Hardie|2009|p=20}}</ref>

The different elements of the castle were also positioned for a particular effect. Unusually, the huge Great Gatehouse faced southeast, away from the main road, hiding its extraordinary architectural features.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=96}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=13, 22}}</ref> This may have been because Thomas intended to establish a new settlement in front of it, but the gatehouse was also probably intended to be viewed from the harbour, where the most senior visitors were expected to arrive.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|p=96}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=13}}</ref> The Lilburn Tower was positioned to be clearly – and provocatively – visible to Edward II's castle at [[Bamburgh Castle|Bamburgh]], {{convert|9|mi|km}} away along the coast, and would have been elegantly framed by the entranceway to the Great Gatehouse for any visitors.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|pp=55–56}}</ref> It was also positioned on a set of natural basalt pillars, which – although inconvenient to build upon – would have enhanced its dramatic appearance and reflection in the meres.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|pp=57–58}}</ref>

The design of the castle may also have alluded to [[King Arthur|Arthurian mythology]], which was a popular set of ideals and beliefs among the English ruling classes at the time.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|pp=93–94}}</ref> Thomas appears to have had an interest in the Arthurian legends and used the pseudonym "King Arthur" in his correspondence with the Scots.<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|p=28}}</ref> Dunstanburgh, with an ancient fort at its centre encircled by water, may have been an allusion to [[Camelot]], and in turn to Thomas's claim to political authority over the failing Edward II, and was also strikingly similar to contemporary depictions of Sir [[Lancelot]]'s castle of "[[Joyous Garde]]".<ref>{{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|Porteous|Huntley|2006|pp=93–94}}; {{harvnb|Oswald|Ashbee|2011|pp=23, 28}}</ref>