Reasons for Designation
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.
Details
Simonburn Castle stands on a steep promontory formed by the confluence of two
deeply incised streams. Although it was repaired in the 18th century and the
upper storeys have now collapsed, it includes the remains of an original
solitary tower house of 13th century date. The tower, built of small
squared ashlar blocks is roughly square in shape measuring 10.5m. Only the
ground floor basement of the tower stands today, covered by a plain
semicircular barrel vault. Although the basement has become infilled with
rubble and masonry from the collapsed upper storey a small window in the south
east side is visible. There is a door in the north west wall giving access to
a mural chamber which is thought to have housed the foot of a flight of stairs
giving access to the upper storey. Also, on the north west side, are the
remains of a square projecting turret. The remains of a stone wall rib
indicate that the ground floor of the turret was covered by a plain vaulted
roof. A door with a pointed arch opens from the turret giving rise to the
suggestion that the turret served as an entrance porch to the main tower. The
original 13th century tower fell into decay during the 16th century and
was almost certainly in ruins by the end of that century. In the second half
of the 18th century it was repaired by the Allgood family and the upper end of
the north east wall was rebuilt. As late as 1940 this wall at least was still
standing to a height of 1.8m. Simonburn Castle is a Grade II Listed Building.
Legacy
The contents of this record have been generated from a legacy data system.
Legacy System number:
21047
Legacy System:
RSM
Sources
Books and journals Other
Legal
This monument is scheduled under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979 as amended as it appears to the Secretary of State to be of national importance. This entry is a copy, the original is held by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.
End of official list entry
