Coupland Castle

Has been described as a Certain Tower House

There are major building remains

NameCoupland Castle
Alternative NamesCoupland Millfield; Copeland; Cowpland
Historic CountryNorthumberland
Modern AuthorityNorthumberland
1974 AuthorityNorthumberland
Civil ParishEwart

Although known as a castle, this is a tower house, probably built sometime after 1584. It has been added to over the years and was restored in C19. The tower has three storeys with an attic on top and a small projecting tower carried up the south wall. The entrance door has a date of 1594 inscribed on one side and leads into a barrel vaulted room, or basement, now divided into two. A newel, or spiral staircase leads to the upper floors. The attic roof seems to be original and is an unusual and interesting structure. The tower is a good example of a tower house and is very much in the Scottish tradition. (Keys to the Past)

Country house. C16, C17, C18 and 1820-25. Random rubble including massive porphyry blocks, partly roughcast. Ashlar dressings and Scottish slate roofs.

Towerhouse, built after 1584, with irregular later additions.

Towerhouse: 4 storeys. 47 ft. x 29 ft. C19 12-pane sashes in moulded surrounds. Projecting parapet on original rounded corbels. C19 battlements. Gabled roof behind parapet with original stone-flagged walkway around.

Slightly later extension to tower on left, forming T-plan for these early parts. Similar windows. Continuous moulded corbel table below parapet. Pyramidal roof and circular stair turret.

2-storey, 3-bay house of c.1820-25 attached to left. Central battlemented porch tower with Tudor-arched entrance and oriel window above on moulded corbels. Plaster rib vault in porch. 2-storey canted bay window to right and 3-light mullioned windows to left. Battlemented parapet and false gable behind porch.

Left return has work of 1820-25 on right and 3-bay C18 house to left with 12-pane sash windows in raised surrounds.

Rear facade irregular.

Interior: Tower has vaulted basement, subdivided later into 2 rooms

Original narrow stone newel stair starts from 1st floor in corbelled-out semicircular projection now partly inside later addition to tower, which also contains a broader and later stone newel stair from ground to 1st floor. Base of this stair has round-arched doorway with roll-moulded surround, probably early C17. Similar doorway into kitchen range to rear. Base of original tower has late C17 or early C18 doorway with bolection-moulded surround. On 1st floor of tower a large fireplace dated GW 1619 MW for George and Mary Wallis. The initials set in decorative recessed panels. Tudor-arched lintel. C19 section has contemporary decoration including fine doors, cornices with Greek key pattern, cantilevered stair with wrought-iron balustrade. Several early C19 fireplaces and one late C18 wood fireplace with Corinthian columns and relief carving in lintel, brought from elsewhere. (Listed Building Report)

Not scheduled

This is a Grade 1 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 ReferenceNT935311
Latitude55.5741195678711
Longitude-2.10384011268616
Eastings393540
Northings631150
HyperLink HyperLink HyperLink
Copyright Hugh Gray All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image
Copyright Hugh Gray All Rights ReservedView full Sized Image

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Books

  • Geldard, Ed, 2009, Northumberland Strongholds (London: Frances Lincoln) p. 65
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 69-71
  • Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 39
  • Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 181
  • Graham, Frank, 1993, Northumberian Castles Aln, Tweed and Till (Butler Publishing) p. 12-14
  • Jackson, M.J.,1992, Castles of Northumbria (Carlisle) p. 49-50
  • Rowland, T.H., 1987 (reprint1994), Medieval Castles, Towers, Peles and Bastles of Northumberland (Sandhill Press) p. 32
  • King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 331
  • Fry, P.S., 1980, Castles of the British Isles (David and Charles) p. 216
  • Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 121-2
  • Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 88
  • Pevsner, N., 1957, Buildings of England: Northumberland (London) p. 133-4
  • Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles (1970 Reprint by Frank Graham) p. 81-2
  • Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (London: Methuen and Co)
  • Vickers, Kenneth H. (ed), 1922, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol. 11 p. 227-9 online copy
  • Tomlinson, W.W., 1897, Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 511
  • Mackenzie, J.D., 1896, Castles of England; their story and structure (New York: Macmillan) Vol. 2 p. 376-7 online copy
  • Hodgson, J. and Laird, F., 1813, Beauties of England and Wales; Northumberland Vol. 12 p. 219
  • Hutchinson, Wm, 1776, A View of Northumberland (Newcastle) Vol. 1 p. 260 (mention) online transcription

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. 11 abridged transcription
  • Culley, M., 1904, 'Coupland Castle' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser2) Vol. 25 p. 168-80 online copy
  • 1890, The Monthly Chronicle of North Country Lore and Legend p. 201-2 online copy
  • 1822, The Gentleman's Magazine Vol. 92 p. 17-20, 114-6 online copy

Other

  • Kent, C.L., 2016, Beyond the defensible threshold: the house-building culture of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the East March, 1550-1603 (PhD Thesis, Durham University) online copy
  • Ryder, P.F., 1994-5, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland Part 2 Berwick District p. 16-17