Tower House
Generalities and Cut-Away Drawing of Tower-Houses by Pete Armstrong. The terms “Tower-House” and “Pele Tower” are the cause of some confusion. Though the terminology differs, the function of these buildings is similar and their form…
Pele Tower
Generalities, description and cut-away drawing of a Pele, Peel or Pele-Tower by Pete Armstrong Pele is derived from “pel” an Old French word for a stake. In early times many fortifications were constructed from wooden…
Hole Bastle, Bellingham, Northumberland
Hole Bastle, Bellingham, Northumberland Hole Bastle stands between Woodburn and Bellingham and is a most interesting example of a fortified farmhouse of a type once common on the Border. In times past the ground floor…
Harbottle Castle, Coquetdale, Northumberland
Harbottle Castle, Coquetdale, Northumberland Harbottle Castle, at the western end of a line of strongholds in Coquetdale, was in a position of importance in the defence of the Border. The castle is sited about eight…
Great Tosson Tower, Coquetdale, Northumberland
Great Tosson Tower, Coquetdale, Northumberland Great Tosson Tower stands close under the Simonside Hills in Coquetdale a mile or so above Rothbury. The tower was one of a series of fortifications guarding Coquetdale where its…
Ford Castle, Ford, Northumberland
Ford Castle, Ford, Northumberland Ford Castle stands about six miles below the Border in the valley of the river Till, a tributary of the Tweed. William Heron was given a licence to crenellate or fortify…
Etal Castle, Etal, Northumberland
Etal Castle, Etal, Northumberland Etal Castle stands about four miles below the Border on the river Till, a tributary of the Tweed. The castle is deserted and ruinous as it has been since James IV…
Elsdon Tower or Pele, Elsdon, Northumberland
Elsdon Tower or Pele, Elsdon, Northumberland Three miles east of Otterburn, the old grey pele-tower at Elsdon stands on the high bank of the Elsdon Burn and dominates the dwellings that fringe the village green.…
Vicar’s Pele, Corbridge, Northumberland
The Vicar's Pele at Corbridge, Northumberland The Vicar's Pele stands well preserved, repaired and re-roofed within the churchyard in Corbridge. It was first built in the early 14th century and we know that in 1415…
Cocklaw Tower, North Tyne Valley, Chollerton, Northumberland
Cocklaw Tower, North Tyne Valley, Chollerton, Northumberland The substantial remains of Cocklaw Tower stand in the valley of the North Tyne about a mile below Chollerton. The ruined tower stands in isolation in a farmyard…
Fourmerkland Tower
Cut-Away Drawing by Pete Armstrong of Fourmerkland Tower, Dumfriesshire Cut-away drawing showing the interior layout. The tower has three storeys over a typical stone vaulted basement kitchen. A newel stair winds its way upwards to…
