Our magnificent Northumberland castle hotel, Langley Castle, has celebrated its 40th
anniversary as a hotel and restaurant, during May 2026.
Our 4 AA Star (Silver) hotel, with its acclaimed two AA Rosette restaurant, ‘Josephine’s’, first
opened its doors to visitors in 1986. This was after a 1985 purchase by current owner, Dr
Stuart Madnick, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, in the USA.
The story of an American buying an English castle and turning it into a hotel, made
headlines both sides of the Atlantic in 1986. Langley Castle had already had various
incarnations – as a baron’s fortified stronghold, an army barracks, a girls’ school, a venue for
medieval banquets and a family home. Now, guests from worldwide locations could
experience its unique appeal.
How we became a Northumberland castle hotel
Dr Madnick channelled his own personal knowledge of what made a good hospitality venue
into the Langley Castle hotel project. He has always underlined the strengths of the castle
and its unique selling points. At the heart of this is the fact Langley Castle is a real castle,
not just a façade. As a Northumberland castle hotel, it can provide guests with a fabulously
genuine experience.
In fact, Langley Castle could be considered England’s most authentic medieval fortified
castle hotel. The vast majority of its structure is exactly as it was back in 1350, when first
built.
The architecture of our Northumberland castle hotel
It was constructed to be the defence-minded home of one of King Edward III’s favourite
knights – Thomas de Lucy. Much about its construction suggests it needed to be a
stronghold and a castle capable of surviving long periods of siege.
This explains why our hotel guests today can marvel at the seven-feet-thick walls and the
elevated window seats set into them in various rooms. They can also view a remarkably
perfect example of medieval garderobes. The twelve set into the wall, beside what is now
the ‘new’ staircase, suggest Langley Castle expected to have the enemy on its doorstep
fairly frequently. It needed a good sanitary system, to help withstand those pressures.
Storytelling and celebration
Dr Madnick was ahead of his time in recognising the power of storytelling, when he
launched daily Battlement Tours of the castle. These are on offer to all guests – and non-
residents – at 10.15am each day and provide a very rare-to-find additional element to a
castle stay. A survey of British consumers showed, in fact, that a historic tour of a hotel is
something nearly 40% of Brits have never experienced.
To celebrate 40 years of offering guests a once-in-a-lifetime experience and bucket-list
dream stay, Dr Madnick and his wife, Dr Mariann Madnick, staged a celebratory event on
May 6 2026. After a search, we gathered together 40 community knights. These are all modern-
day heroes who work tirelessly to support and champion causes that strengthen the local
community.
Friends of Langley Castle were also invited to a day featuring historic storytelling by the
Time Bandits, a Northumbrian piper, Northumbrian clog dancing and lots of champagne.
Guest of honour, the Mayor of Hexham, Derek Kennedy, spoke warmly of our hotel’s
contribution to the local area. Town Crier, Helen Barrow, also rallied community knights for
official photographs and TV recordings.
Tree-planting project at our Northumberland castle hotel
40 Cornus florida American dogwood trees have also been planted around Langley’s
grounds. Local schoolchildren planted some just before the official celebration and on the
day itself. This species of tree was especially chosen by the Baroness of Langley, Dr Mariann
Madnick. It one of her favourites, due to the dramatic and mesmerising colour changes it
delivers during the year. It also reflects the Madnick family’s American heritage.
In our 40 th year, we have various offers themed around the figure 40. Check all of these out
and visit us, to discover why so many visitors fall in love with Langley Castle, the minute
they head up the drive – just as Dr Madnick did when he caught his first glimpse of the
castle.
