Distant View of Lindisfarne Castle. Sited atop the volcanic mound known as Beblowe Craig, Lindisfarne Castle is one of the most distinct and picturesque features of the Island and can be seen for many miles around.
Following the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII, the Castle was built in the 1550's using stones from the demolished Priory. In 1901, Edward Hudson (founder of Country Life magazine) negotiated its purchase from the Crown and in 1902 Sir Edwin Lutyens (the well-known architect) began the conversion to create the Edwardian country house you see today. We took a shuttle from the small town centre up to the castle, it is about a mile away, and the driver commented that Henry VIII was into recycling (ha, ha). Another note, the Holy Island is what I called the Northern Exposure of England. The school has only 4 students. They have a fire department and truck, but no fireman. They did have a volunteer, but the government has ruled that volunteers are not "safe." The community of Holy Island numbers 160.