Berwick town walls

Berwick town walls are stone fortifications that enclose the old town center with multiple gates and strategically placed bastions for defense. The structure follows a geometric design with corner towers that create a continuous defensive line.

The walls were built in 1558 under Queen Elizabeth I to replace earlier medieval defenses and protect the town from Scottish attacks. This modernization made Berwick the first British town with contemporary fortress architecture.

The walls show Italian military design principles that transformed Berwick into a modern fortress town through shared European engineering ideas. You can see this influence today in how the bastions are shaped and positioned around the town.

You can walk the entire circuit on foot and see all sides of the town from above. The path is accessible and passes four main gates where you can easily enter or exit.

These fortifications are the only complete surviving example from the Elizabethan era in Britain and combine stone walls with water-filled ditches. The water system was revolutionary for its time and made the defenses extremely difficult to breach.

Location: Berwick-upon-Tweed

GPS coordinates: 55.77100,-1.99770

Latest update: December 10, 2025 16:31