Rothley Castle

The National Trust recently bought back this 1750’s crenellated eye-catcher, designed by Daniel Garrett, to restore its association with the Wallington Estate in mid Northumberland. Prominent on a craggy outcrop in the centre of a Deer Park now designated as Access Land, it may have served originally as a picnic spot and viewing tower. 250 years of weathering and more recently of vandalism had left the ruin in a dangerous and diminished state. Two seasons of masonry consolidation and the reinstatement of the internal stone stairs aim to provide managed access to this splendid viewpoint. New mild steel gates are mainly introduced to exclude cattle and sheep and the handrails to the stairs and viewing platform offer safety to visitors.