Northumberland: Strange But True

Northumberland: Strange But True gathers curious buildings, incidents, people and customs from across the county. Robert Woodhouse ranges from Sir Charles Algernon Parsons, inventor of the steam turbine, to the eccentric Ned Coulson and the notorious Delaval family, while also considering Brizlee Tower, Seaton Delaval’s Starlight Castle and Sharp’s Folly.

The book examines theories surrounding Neolithic cup-and-ring stones, rock carvings and Heddon-on-Tyne’s Kissing Stone, alongside Allendale’s New Year ceremony and Alnwick’s Shrove Tuesday football match. Accounts of Chillingham’s wild cattle and Warkworth’s hermitage add further colour, with older stories associated with Bamburgh, Bywell and Belam. Photographs, maps, prints, paintings and engravings support this alternative history of Northumberland.