From the time of Edward I until the union of England and Scotland, the northern border of Northumberland was in a constant state of warfare. As a result, there are more castles, bastles and pele towers in Northumberland than in any other county. This is a lively photographic survey of seventy-five strongholds, ranging from the impressive castles at Bamburgh, Alnwick and Dunstanburgh to battlemented country houses and remote fortified farmsteads. The text explains their importance and architecture, and tells their dramatic and bloody stories.