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Twizell Castle

A medieval tower house which once stood on the site was, in 1415, held by Sir John Heron. This was destroyed by a Scottish army in 1496 commanded by James IV of Scotland and Perkin Warbeck. James IV returned on 24 August 1513 on his way to besiege Norham Castle, and held a council or parliament at "Twesil" or "Twesilhaugh."

 

The estate was sold by the Herons circa 1520 to a member of the Selby family. A survey in 1561 reported only the remnants of a tower house and a barmkin. John Selby seems to have repaired the buildings, and an inventory was made of the furnishings on his death in 1595 mentioning a new chamber, a gallery, and chambers in the tower.[2] Of the medieval structure, blocked windows, a chamfered doorway and the original north-east angle quoins are all that remains visible now.

 

In 1685 Sir Francis Blake (d. 1718) purchased the estate from the widow Selby for £1,944, plus an annuity of £100, and the Blake family lived on the estate until 1738 when they moved to nearby Tillmouth Hall.

 

From about 1770, Sir Francis Blake (d. 1780) worked on the recreation of the castle as a Gothic Revival mansion, designed by architect James Nesbit of Kelso to be five levels tall. Despite some forty years of work, the project was never completed. When in 1882, the Blakes built a new mansion at Tillmouth Park much of the incomplete Twizell Castle was demolished and the stone used in the new construction. The house is now a two-story folly. Rectangular in plan, with circular towers on the angles and two wings on the north side, the basement rooms in the main block are stone and brick-vaulted as a precaution against fire. from Wikipedia

 

Lit with the drone

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Uploaded on July 25, 2020
Taken on July 9, 2020