Our fabrics
All Hextol nightshirts are made with luxurious double fold cotton. They are practical too - fully machine washable.
You may wonder where the names of the fabrics come from. We have been inspired by the beautiful and historic castles of Northumberland. Take a look at our fabrics and the castles that inspired them.
And if you'd like to order one of our nightshirts now, just click on your favourite fabric:
Alnwick Castle
After Windsor castle, Alnwick is the largest inhabited castle in England.
The original motte and bailey castle built by a Norman baron, Yvo de Vescy in 1096 was for a time owned by Antony Bek, Bishop of Durham who sold it to Henry de Percy in 1309 and it has been home to the Percy family, Dukes of Northumberland, ever since. Although it has been considerably altered over the years and parts of it are open to the public, it is still a family home.
The architect Robert Adam and the landscape gardener Capability Brown both worked here. The walls and towers contain a number of museums and the castle grounds will be recognised by younger visitors as the set of the Quidditch match in the first of the Harry Potter films. The castle was also the backdrop for the historical drama "Elizabeth" and for episodes of the series, "Blackadder". The gardens have been considerably developed in recent years and include ornamental fountains and a treehouse restaurant.
In 2009 the castle marked 700 years of its history with a special exhibition opening on 26 June.
Belsay Castle
Belsay castle does not appear to have been constructed for defensive purposes. It is dominated by a fourteenth century tower which gives superb views of the surrounding countryside and is completed by a Jacobean manor house which was added in 1614. There are traces of medieval wall paintings in the castle which was the home of the Middleton family until 1817 when they moved to Belsay Hall.
Sir Charles Miles Lambert Middleton had been impressed by neo-classical buildings seen on his travels in Europe and on his return to England designed a Grecian mansion - Belsay Hall - as his family home.
The property is owned by English Heritage and includes extensive gardens, more or less unaltered for 200 years. The Quarry gardens include ravines and rock faces, the stone from here was used to build the Hall. The present-day tea room is in the original kitchens. Visitors can take part in a variety of activities including archery and falconry and can see Stella McCartney's stunning crystal horse sculpture "Lucky Spot" which is on display in the castle's great hall (the room which inspired it) from Easter 2009.
Dunstanburgh Castle
Nine miles north east of Alnwick, the massive ruins of Dunstanburgh Castle stand on a basalt crag 100 feet above the sea and are reached by footpaths from Craster and Embleton. From the castle there are breathtaking views of the Northumberland coastline and of the Cheviot Hills in the distance.
The castle, which is said to have been built on the site of an ancient British stronghold, was begun in 1313 by Earl Thomas of Lancaster, a nephew of King Edward II. It passed into the hands of John of Gaunt when Lancaster was executed in 1322. Defended by cliffs on two sides and by a man-made ditch on the third, it was strengthened against attack from the Scots but was later captured by the Yorkist forces during the Wars of the Roses. It then fell into a state of ruin and materials from the castle were taken to repair other buildings in the area.
Today, the ruins of Dunstanburgh castle occupy a larger area than any other castle in the North of England. The curtain walls and tower are still standing and the castle and its surroundings are well-known as the habitat of sea birds, wildlife and wild flowers. The castle was privately owned for many years before being given to the Ministry of Works in 1929. It is now managed by English Heritage.
Warkworth Castle
The 14th century keep of Warkworth castle dominates the small Northumberland town of the same name. Perched on a peninsula formed by a loop of the River Coquet, the castle was owned by the Percy family until Tudor times when they fell out of royal favour and the castle fell into disrepair.
The castle was a family home as well as military stronghold. The original motte and bailey castle was built in 1150 by Henry, Earl of Northumberland, son of David I of Scotland in whose kingdom Northumberland then lay. It was rebuilt in stone and a gatehouse was added in the 13th century. Warkworth is mentioned in scenes from Shakespeare's "Henry IV". During the English Civil war the castle was captured by parliamentary troops who damaged much of the building. The castle is now in the care of English Heritage.