Arnside Tower
| Arnside Tower | |
|
Westmorland | |
|---|---|
 Arnside Tower | |
| Type: | Tower house |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | SD457768 |
| Location: | 54°11’4"N, 2°49’51"W |
| Village: | Arnside |
| History | |
| Information | |
| Condition: | Ruined |
Arnside Tower is a late-mediæval tower house or pele tower in the very south of Westmorland, standing between Arnside and Silverdale, immediately to the south of Arnside Knott.
History
Arnside Tower was built in the second half of the 15th century; tower houses were then often built in the insecure areas of borders between the kingdoms of England and Scotland.[1] Constructed of limestone rubble, the tower was originally five storeys high, measuring 50 feet by 34 feet.[2] The tower was built with an adjacent wing of equal height built onto the side of the tower in a style common in Scotland, but rare in English tower houses.[3] Historian Anthony Emery suggests that the design may have been influenced by that at Ashby de la Zouch Castle, rebuilt in 1464 by Lord Hastings.[4]
The tower suffered a serious fire in 1602 but after repairs remained in use until the end of the 17th century.[5]
Condition and protection
One of the walls of the tower collapsed around 1900, and as of 2010 English Heritage considered the condition of the castle to be poor, and to be at risk of further slow decline.[6] Arnside Tower is a Grade II* listed building.[7]
References
- ↑ Emery, p.183.
- ↑ Emery, p.183; Arnside Tower, Gatehouse webpage, accessed 22 April 2011.
- ↑ Pettifer, p.265.
- ↑ Emery, p.184.
- ↑ Emery, p.184.
- ↑ Emery, p.184; Heritage at Risk Register - North West, English Heritage, p.43, accessed 21 April 2011.
- ↑ Heritage at Risk Register - North West, English Heritage, p.43, accessed 21 April 2011.
Books
- Emery, Anthony. (1996) Greater Mediæval Houses of England and Wales, 1300-1500: Northern England. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-49723-7.
- Pettifer, Adrian. (2002) English Castles: a Guide by Counties. Woodbridge, UK: Boydell Press. ISBN 978-0-85115-782-5.