Visions of a Place
...Long before it became a Feudal castle, Dunstanburgh was the site of Celtic, Pre-Christian worship and the birth of myths and legends.
The power of its spectacular location would inspire and keep these legends alive,
The Castle itself was then built in 1313 after centuries of occupation and farming.
Visitors of any importance would approach from the seaward side, arriving in their highly decorated, richly-colored and enamelled ships (see Shipbuilding).
The breaking, North Atlantic waves would spew cold furious water at them,
warning them not to mess with this haunted place.
(See also
Seascape).
Sometimes these visitors (see Lord's Party) would approach their destination from its western land entrance, in caravans of equal richness and gaudy style as their ships, yet streaked with the mud of an overland journey.
The townspeople and land workers would stand in awe of the procession.
And the lords and ladies of Dunstanburgh wouldn't be able to resist a little arrogance, for their castle was surrounded in a mystical power.
But not even they knew its entire history or knew how it had become the source of so many legends.
But as a cultural icon-
- still visited incessently by people alien to the land,
- still host to a multitude of rampant Ghosts,
- still harboring the pride of its inhabitants--
A visit to Dunstanburgh Castle is now a passage through time
as well as an intense journey of visual stimulation.
Back to Visitors
Back to 2006 Dunstanburgh Project
