Etal Castle is a medieval castle (built in the mid-1300s) at an important strategic point between Scotland and England. It was owned by the Manners family and their home until the mid-1500s. The tower house and gatehouse is all that survives of the castle today. In 1603, the castle lost its defensive purposes after England and Scotland united, so it was abandoned. The first structure that can be seen upon exiting the small museum, which was a converted Presbyterian chapel, is the castle tower.
The castle was not built for large-scale battles, so it was taken by the Scottish but soon reclaimed after they lost the Battle of Flodden Fields near the castle.
The gatehouse was the castle entrance. There may have been a chapel on the first floor. The only remaining wall of the castle is located here.
The tower house was a four-storey building and contained living quarters. It was attached to the wall and the staircase that was joined to access the upper floors can be seen on the exterior wall. The first floor held the great hall. The floor above this was for the owners, and the guards occupied the top floor.
Masons' Marks from the stonemasons who cut the stones can be seen in the stonework of the castle. Each one had a different design as they would be paid by work completed.
The castle at Etal was in an area where there was a lot of battles, so this was an important strategic point and near the site of one of the most prominent battlefields.
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