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In Cumbria there are many houses and castles based on Pele Towers. Apart from those that are open to the public, there are many that are viewable from the roads, that are not open to the public. Listed here are some of the most interesting from an architectural point of view.
There is a seperate list of the fortified houses and towers in South Cumbria, together with a detailed article on the history of these structures.
Yanwath Hall
Location : Eamont Bridge
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 507282
Blencow Hall
Location : Greystoke
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 449325 .
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Blencow, in the Eden valley, is sited on the Petteril river, which divides it into two parts: Great and Little Blencow. The Blencow family lived in the area from the early 1300s. A partly fortified house, Blencow hall, not the original seat of the family, was built in the late 1500s and has a ruined tower at each end, one dating from the 1600s. The hall range has mullioned windows and has the date 1590 inscribed over the entrance.
Catterlen Hall
Location : Newton Reigny / Penrith
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 478321.
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The manor of Catterlen was long held by the family of the Vaux, whose heiress bequeathed it to John Christian Curwen, Esq. of Workington Hall, from whom it passed by sale to the duke of Norfolk, then to Henry Howard, Esq. of Greystoke Castle.
Catterlen Hall started out as a pele tower built for defensive purposes around 1460. In 1577 an L-shaped building was constructed with the tower being on the north side. The rectangular pink sandstone tower walls are over 1.2m thick. The tower has two floors and a vaulted basement. Stone water spouts project from it. A spiral staircase is located in the south-west corner. A wooden defensive platform once rested on the west side. In the 1650s a wing was added to the south end with an external staircase. The door is in the baroque style and has a pedimented gable. Its top room has two chimney-pieces.
It is now converted into a farm house.
Askerton Castle
Location : Bewcastle / Lanercost / Brampton
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 550692
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Askerton Hall has a 15th century south range, and at about 1500-1510 Thomas Lord Dacre added a pele tower at each end. His initials are on the west tower. The building, which is about 80ft square overall, encloses a small courtyard, with accommodation on three sides, and an arched entrance on the fourth.
Askerton Castle is now an Organic farm specialising in hardy, native rare breeds of livestock.
See www.askertoncastle.co.uk for details of the history of the building, and of the organic food available to buy from the farm.
Drawdykes Castle
Location : Carlisle
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 419585
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Farmhouse, formerly a tower house, probably C14; converted to a house in 1676 by William Thackeray for John Aglionby. Of three storeys and three bays, basically the original tower with a Classical Revival facade and rear windows.
It lies almost on the line of Hadrian's Wall, a slight hollow in the drive marks the course of the vallum, the ditch running alongside the wall.
Drumburgh Castle
Location : Bowness-on-Solway
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 265598
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Drumburgh Castle, a fortified farmhouse, was close to the site of the Roman Fort at Drumburgh, about 3.5 miles south east of Bowness-on-Solway.
It was originally built almost entirely with stones from Hadrian's Wall, by Thomas Lord Dacre early in
the 16th century. Licence to crenellate the preceding tower had been granted in 1307.The upper doorway
of the house once had a date of 1518.
Kirkandrews Tower
Location : Longtown
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 389720
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Kirkandrews Tower was built as a border fortress around 1530-50 by a Thomas Graham. It was sited in the area that both the English and Scottish claimed as their own. The square tower measures 10 metres by 7 metres and has walls over 1½ metres thick. The basement is vaulted. From the south wall entrance a spiral stair rises to two upper stories and an attic. The roof is step gabled.
There is a ground floor and two apartments above, one over the other - in the ground floor it was usual to keep the cattle, and in the top two was lodged the family.
Linstock
Location : Carlisle
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 429585
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13th century tower and later hall range. There are traces of a moat.
Newby Hall, Newby East
Location : Warwick Bridge
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 476583
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2½ storey tower farmhouse with a two-storey extension, and adjoining mid C19 farmhouse, probably built for Thomas Henry Graham of nearby Edmond Castle.
Alston - Clarghyll Hall
Location : Alston
Map - Ordnance Survey - NY 725492
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Clarghyll Hall is a stone two storey fortified farmhouse, existing from the 1590's, and replacing an earlier building. The bastle was heightened and extended in the late 17th century for Nicholas Whitfield.
The tower is Grade 2* listed. It is private property, but may be seen from a nearby road.
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Aerial photos by Simon Ledingham.
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Page last changed 12 Nov 2006.