Visitors’ Historic Britain: Northumberland: Romans to Victorians
Northumberland is part of the Pen & Sword Visitors’ Historic Britain series, all useful and interesting books, each giving a concise account of the main historic buildings and sites in its county with up-to-date information on access, prices, etc. with good illustrations. Northumberland is one of the best simply because the county has such a rich heritage, despite being the least densely populated shire in England.
Pride of place must go to the eastern stretch of Hadrian’s Wall, but dramatically sited Bamburgh Castle was the capital of England’s first Anglian kingdom (where they put the Anglo into Anglo-Saxon), and otherworldly Lindisfarne has a unique place in ecclesiastical history. The county has more mediaeval castles than any other in England and was home to George Stephenson and other industrial pioneers. My only fault with the book is that apart from the cover, all the photos seem to have been taken in heavily overcast weather. Northumberland is not really so sunless.
