Howick Hall

Has been described as a Certain Pele Tower

There are no visible remains

NameHowick Hall
Alternative NamesTurris de Howicke; Howwike
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishLonghoughton

Country house built in 1782 to designs by William Newton on the site of a medieval tower which was demolished in 1780. (PastScape)

Gatehouse Comments

The tower was mentioned in 1415 when it was the property of Emeric Hering. In 1715 the tower was described as "the seate of Hen. Gray, esq., a most magnificent freestone edifice in a square figure, flat roof'd, and embattled on ye top, a handsome court and gateway on the front, with good gardens, plantations" Leland calls it 'a litle pile' but he is generally only concerned with great houses so 'little' is relative to Alnwick and Dunstanburgh. However the Hering family were knightly rather than minor baronial in status (Emeric represent Newcastle in parliament) and while not poor unlikely to have an income to build a great freestanding tower house.

- Philip Davis

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law

Historic England Scheduled Monument Number
Historic England Listed Building number(s)
Images Of England
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s)
County Historic Environment Record
OS Map Grid ReferenceNU247175
Latitude55.4506912231445
Longitude-1.60961997509003
Eastings424780
Northings617500
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink

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Books

  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 121
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 114 (slight)
  • Rowland, T.H., 1987 (reprint1994), Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p. 28
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 350
  • Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 216-7
  • Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 124
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Bateson, Edward (ed), 1895, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol. 2 p. 337-8, 345 online copy
  • Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p. 12, 16, 27 (Also published as the whole of volume 14 (series 2) of Archaeologia Aeliana view online)
  • Hodgson, J.C., 1827, History of Northumberland part 3 Vol. 1 (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 28
  • Hutchinson, Wm, 1776, A View of Northumberland (Newcastle) Vol. 2 p. 192 online copy

Antiquarian

  • Chandler, John, 1993, John Leland's Itinerary: travels in Tudor England (Sutton Publishing) p. 343
  • Toulmin-Smith, Lucy (ed), 1910, The itinerary of John Leland in or about the years 1535-1543 (London: Bell and Sons) Vol. 5 p. 64 online copy

Journals

  • Hodgson, J.C., 1916, 'List of Ruined Towers, Chapels, etc., in Northumberland; compiled about 1715 by John Warburton, Somerset Herald, aided by John Horsley' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser3) Vol. 13 p. 10 abridged transcription
  • Bates, C.J., 1891, 'Border Holds of Northumberland' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 14 p. 12, 16, 27 online copy

Primary Sources