Hylton Castle — Attraction in Sunderland

TL;DR: Hylton Castle in Sunderland is a beautifully restored historic site offering informative tours, a cozy tea room, and nearby cathedral ruins. Also available as an events venue!

Hylton Castle is a fantastic historic site to visit in Sunderland. Dating back to the late 14th century, the castle was originally built as a fortified manor house and has since undergone restoration to serve as a cultural and community space.

I pre-booked a tour on a beautiful Saturday afternoon and was thoroughly impressed by our guides, Colin and Dawn, who shared so much history and insight. The interior of the castle has been restored and repurposed for modern use, blending its medieval past with present-day functionality.

On the first floor, there’s a charming tea room where you can relax after exploring. I also took a short walk up the hill to visit the ruins of a nearby cathedral, which added even more to the experience.

The castle also serves as an events venue, so it’s worth keeping in mind for special occasions. Highly recommend a visit if you’re...

The first time I visited this attraction was when the Television show "Time Team " was being Broadcast from there during their usual 3 day digs. I was intrigued at the huge amount of walls etc that they found and how big the site really was.

I recall that the local community were very keen to develop the site but it would all come down to finding funding. I am happy to say that the site has secured over 3 million pounds and work had already started on some very interesting plans. This can only be a good thing for both the community and Sunderland in general.

The area comes under the jurisdiction of English Heritage and at the moment entry is FREE.😊. No access to the Keep itself but huge grounds to explore and have picnics in. The grounds are very much wheelchair friendly but there are No Toilets. Actually there is no cafe or sovineer shop iether 😊.

Parking is available nearby and you can always go down to the beach if you prefer. Good family day out and it's cheap....

This castle is fantastic, but what it is feeling to do is that they have cost money to do this, but it's not giving the people a chance to actually see what is inside. I have been in that one's time and it is absolutely amazing, but they are failing to show the public and they are not giving a chance to say exactly what this is about that could be doing so much done and ideas, but nobody seems to listen that where I can say it is, it's just a way to hide money from what the council has done. Prove to the public. Because I say this could be a fantastic opportunity of bringing money into the city, it could be a cafe, what's is open all the time? And there could be a beer bar. There could be so many things opportunities and adventures for the children. It could be a bigger outdoor park.There could be activities, and so much could be done...