It is not every day one gets to stay at an authentic castle, yet during our visit to Hadrian’s Wall in Northern England, I surprised my son with A Night at Langley Castle. This 14th century castle not only allows guests to stay overnight, it offers luxury accommodations, outstanding service, and an exquisite dining experience, including an afternoon tea fit for a Queen.
{Disclosure: We were hosted by Langley Castle but my opinions are 100% my own. Our dining experience is featured here.}
Langley Castle is not a “imitation” castle- this was the real thing– a fortified medieval castle built in the 14th century during the reign of Edward III. The castle comes complete with turrets, garderobes, rooftop battlements, and even a rooftop chapel. The moment we crossed through the heaven wooden door, we stepped back in time a few hundred years.
The history of the castle enveloped us, beckoning us to a royal experience. Tapestries in jewel-tone colors of burgundy, evergreen, and lavender hung on the seven-inch thick stone castle walls, and a glimmering medieval suit of armor stood guard in the corner of the entryway. My son, thrilled (and a little frightened) at the possibility of sleeping where knights and barons once slumbered, stood mesmerized at the grandeur, as I checked us in.
Our room was spacious, with a king-size canopy bed in the center of the room. Two steps to the side of the bed led to tall glass oriel-style window, with stained glass at the top. A grand stone fireplace stood majestic in the corner. The stone walls held tapestries and classical art, and a glass chandelier sparkled against the ruby and gold accents of the room. A comfortable sofa concealed a fold-out bed, perfect for traveling families. The unspoken question between my son and I was who would get the canopy bed and who would get the sofa….would we need to sword fight for the bed?
The Castle Grounds
Some Things to Know
- Room rates are approximately £100.00 – £209.00 per night, including full England breakfast and VAT.
- Langley Castle has nine guest rooms within the castle, so make reservations well in advance if you want to stay in the castle. (There are 18 additional rooms on the estate grounds.)
- Langley Castle offers Battlement tower, chapel, and garderobe tours.
- Langley Castle is known for romantic once-in-a-lifetime weddings, so be sure to visit their Castle Wedding page.
Things to Do Near Langley Castle
The Northumberland area of Northern England has several interesting historical sites to visit, including Hadrian’s Wall, Hexham’s Abbey, the Roman Army Museum, and Haydon Bridge.
For more information about Langley Castle, please visit their website. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter.
4 comments
Love reading about the castle and seeing the photos. Enough so that I started googling airfare afterward. I have to say though, what was going on with that bathroom tile? Would have loved to see some kind of stone as opposed to the reflective fish scale look. I hope you travel much more so I can see it all through you!
Thank you so much Liz! My photos do not do it justice, the tile in the bathroom was really beautiful. I was a little surprised at first too, but I am glad the stone was not in there because the bathroom was kind of “creepy” as it was, because it was so enclosed, so I was glad it was modernized a little. By creepy, I mean that I kept expecting a ghost to pop out!
Northumberland is lovely (I say this as one who stays mainly north of Hadrian’s Wall, in Scotland); I am glad you and your son had the chance to experience it this way.
These pictures are amazing! I didn’t especially love England when I went but your post makes me feel like I should give it another try.