Summary

Tower house, 130m south east of Lodge.

Source: Historic England

Details

This record was the subject of a minor enhancement on 30 March 2016. This record has been generated from an "old county number" (OCN) scheduling record. These are monuments that were not reviewed under the Monuments Protection Programme and are some of our oldest designation records.

The monument includes the remains of tower and hall house of medieval date, situated on level ground on a bend in the River Ellen. The tower is upstanding and is constructed from red sandstone, much of which is reused Roman dressed stone; the structure is topped by a 19th century gable ended roof. The tower stands to three storeys and has a number of original architectural features including windows and a basement vault. Immediately to the north east of the tower are the buried remains of the hall that was formerly attached to it. The relict roof line from the hall, preserved on the west wall of the tower, indicates that the tower and hall were a single build.

Source: Historic England

Reasons for Scheduling

Tower houses are a type of defensible house particularly characteristic of the borderlands of England and Scotland. Virtually every parish had at least one of these buildings. Solitary tower houses comprise a single square or rectangular `keep' several storeys high, with strong barrel-vaults tying together massive outer walls. Many towers had stone slab roofs, often with a parapet walk. Access could be gained through a ground floor entrance or at first floor level where a doorway would lead directly to a first floor hall. Solitary towers were normally accompanied by a small outer enclosure defined by a timber or stone wall and called a barmkin. Tower houses were being constructed and used from at least the 13th century to the end of the 16th century. They provided prestigious defended houses permanently occupied by the wealthier and aristocratic members of society. As such, they were important centres of medieval life. The need for such secure buildings relates to the unsettled and frequently war-like conditions which prevailed in the Borders throughout much of the medieval period. Around 200 examples of tower houses have been identified of which less than half are of the free- standing or solitary tower type. All surviving solitary towers retaining significant medieval remains will normally be identified as nationally important.

The tower house 130m south east of Lodge is preserved as partially upstanding and partially buried remains. The monument will contain archaeological deposits relating its construction, use and abandonment. The monument lies in a landscape densely littered with monuments dated to the Roman and Medieval periods and itself is built from reused Roman masonry. In conjunction with the monuments in the surrounding landscape, the tower house provides insight into the changing history of northern England from the Roman to the post-medieval period and the long term importance of fortifications and fortified residences in the Borders region.

Source: Historic England

Sources

Other
PastScape Monument No:- 8987

Source: Historic England