Grindonrigg Tower

Has been described as a Certain Pele Tower

There are no visible remains

NameGrindonrigg Tower
Alternative NamesGrindon Rigg; Grindonridge; Grindon Ridge; Grydon
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishDuddo

Tower at Grindonrigg mentioned in Surveys of 1542 and 1560. A mansion house built by Thomas Watson M.P. (died 1766) probably supercedes the tower mentioned in the Survey of 1560 (Hodgson; Raine). The house and associated buildings are deserted and in a state of decay. There are no traces of antiquity anywhere in the area (F1 ASP 10-NOV-55). The tower at Grindonrigg was built after 1510 by Thomas Selby. It was sold to Willam Strother of Fowberry in 1694, but he did not want to live in Grindonrigg and did nothing to keep the tower in repair. His grandson built the Georgian house, probably on the site of the tower (Dodds; King). (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

The Georgian house now appears to have totally disappeared, although the stables and outbuilding still survive.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

Not Listed

Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNT925431
Latitude55.6813316345215
Longitude-2.12050008773804
Eastings392520
Northings643100
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 45
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 114 (slight)
  • Graham, Frank, 1993, Northumberian Castles Aln, Tweed and Till (Butler Publishing) p. 28
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 348
  • Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 178
  • Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 111
  • Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. 38, 53 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)
  • Raine, J., 1852, History and Antiquities of North Durham (London) p. 19 and 318
  • Hodgson, J., 1828, History of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Part 3 Vol. 2 p. 191 online copy

Journals

  • Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 38, 53 online copy

Primary Sources