Strange as it may be, it seems many people in Newcastle don't actually realise that the city has a castle. But then, I expect that quite a few of you who have never been to the city are a bit surprised that there is still one as well. When I mentioned to people that I had been to the castle keep, I tended to get blank stares, puzzled looks or suggestions that in fact I meant Alnwick castle - but there is actually the remains of a castle in the heart of the city.

The castle is situated on the banks of the Tyne, just a short walk away from the railway station - in fact you can see it clearly if you cross the Tyne Bridge or railway bridge travelling north. The nearest metro is central station, which is also handy if you are coming into the city by train; the castle is just a short walk (about 10 minutes) from here.

The castle was rebuilt in stone in the late 12th century by Henry II, who constructed the keep, gatehouse and enclosing wall. Later in the 13th century, an ailed hall (now buried beneath the Moot Hall) and a bigger gatehouse (called the Black Gate) were added. Within the keep itself are a storeroom and fine vaulted Norman chapel (which I unfortunately did not see much of due to the fact the Songs of Praise were filming on the day we visited), and two floors of accommodation suites. The castle was briefly refortified during the Civil War, but by this time it had long been derelict and after the conflict was returned to this state. Fortunately for archaeologists though, the ditch was being used as a local midden at this time, so remains of pottery, leather, textiles and glass all survive from this period.

- What the Victorians did for us
The thing about the castle is that what you see isn't entirely authentic 13th century. When the Society of Antiquaries got its hands on the site in the nineteenth century, they did the done Victorian thing and restored it to how they though a medieval castle should look - the prominent castellations along the top of the keep almost certainly never existed in the middle ages. There is also the thought that some of the original paintwork on the inner walls had survived until this time - only for the "restorers" to remove it as dirt in an over-enthusiastic cleaning spree. The Victorians also thought nothing of placing their new railway bridge to go right through the middle of the fortified area, thus removing large chunks of the remaining wall, damaging the archaeology and condemning the castle and its contents to a future of being shaken every time a train passes along the line outside it. While some wonderful pieces of original architecture do remain (most notable the chapel), a lot of the building is fabrication.

- My opinion
This was certainly a worthwhile visit - but then, we had the advantage of being taken around the site by our tutor and being told first hand about the archaeology in this area. So much has happened within the castle walls (ranging from Roman and Anglo Saxon burials to important Civil War fortifications), but there is nothing outside the keep to actually tell you this. It is such a pity, as this is the most archaeologically rich area of Newcastle, and could be transformed into a real tourist attraction with a bit of money and the will to change things.

I would highly recommend it to history lovers and to families as it is the sort of place that kids will love. It is also a cheap visit - it only costs £1.50 for adults and 50p for children, students, pensioners and the unemployed.