My visit to the Castle Keep

By Isabella Keilty

Castle Keep was a great place to visit. As soon as we got there my imagination was running wild. If walls could talk would they tell us of the criminals who escaped justice and lived within the walls of the Keep courtyard? Criminals would flee from the law in Newcastle to the Keep courtyard as this was classed as Northumberland and Newcastle laws did not apply so they would avoid capture. Margaret Tudor stayed in the Castle Keep when she was on her way to Scotland to marry James the fourth. I wonder what she would’ve worn. I could just imagine her roaming around on the spiral staircase with her long gowns, or in her chamber sitting by the fire, or writing to her husband to be. I love the spiral staircase the way it curls round and round and goes all the way to the top of the Keep and the view from the top is just amazing. You can see all of Newcastle and Gateshead bridges from the top, and St. Nicolas’ cathedral. You can see out of the windows as you climb the staircase and admire the views as you go; you can imagine all sorts of things. The history you can read about but imagination is creating what you want to see. I really enjoyed visiting the Keep, when I was a child with my school and my most recent visit with Tyne and Wear Museums and Moving Forward, I will look forward to my next visit in the near future.