Wark Castle is an early 12th century earthwork motte and bailey fortress, founded by Walter Espec. In 1157-61 King Henry II, founded the stone castle, when strengthening its timber fortifications. In the early 13th century, the motte was crowned with an octagonal shell keep and the inner bailey, encased with a curtain wall, flanked by towers and a gatehouse. Occupied by both the Scottish and the English through the centuries, it was partly demolished and rebuilt on numerous occasions. The visible stone remains on the motte, are of an artillery platform of 1543, with the inner bailey curtain wall surviving as a bank with visible masonry to the east. A scarp separates the two bailey platforms but sadly the lower outer bailey is now partly built over, with no visible trace of its defences. 8 miles east is Etal Castle and 8 miles south-west is Floors Castle.