The ‘picturesque’ Northumberland village with a Norman castle

Mitford is a settlement that was once a market town of greater importance than Morpeth itself, as the old folk rhyme records: “Mitforde was Mitforde when Morpeth was none, and Mitforde shall be Mitforde when Morpeth is gone.”

Morpeth won in the end, but Mitford kept the castle, the Norman church, and the river.

The castle

Mitford Castle stands on a small promontory above the River Wansbeck and has been ruinous for more than 700 years.

Roger Bertram, lord of the castle in 1215, was one of the barons who forced King John to sign Magna Carta, and John took his revenge the following year, besieging and sacking both the castle and the church, burning the village and reportedly locking Roger Bertram in one of his own towers.

The Scots finished what John started, attacking in 1318 and leaving the castle “ruinous and wholly burnt.”

It was never properly rebuilt.

The ruins are a Scheduled Ancient Monument and currently on the Buildings at Risk Register; the best view is from the road in front of the church directly opposite.

The church

St Mary Magdalene Church was built in 1135 and its history is as violent as the castle’s.

When King John sacked the village in 1216 he burned the church with many villagers still inside.

Hanging just inside the door is a bell cast no later than 1150, making it one of the oldest bells in England and almost certainly the oldest in the Diocese of Newcastle.

The church also has a leper squint, a small window built into the outside wall so that lepers could watch services without entering the building.

Very few churches in England still have one.

Walking

The riverside walk from Morpeth to Mitford along the Wansbeck passes through ancient woodland, wildflower meadows and riverside fisheries before arriving at the castle and church.

The route is around four kilometres each way and navigable in wellies after rain. Longer circular routes cross both rivers and return through farmland above the valley.

Where to eat and drink

The Plough Inn, Mitford The village pub is a dog-friendly, real-ale country pub serving Mexican-inspired home-cooked food Thursday to Saturday, with a traditional Sunday lunch.

Open Tuesday to Sunday, food from Thursday evening, booking recommended.

Getting there

Mitford is two miles west of Morpeth off the A197, in the Wansbeck valley.

The postcode for the church and castle is NE61 3PY. Roadside parking is available near the church on the lane through the village.

Mitford is also reachable on foot from Morpeth along a four-kilometre riverside path following the north bank of the Wansbeck, one of the finest short walks in Northumberland.