Coldmartin Tower, Chatton

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Tower Martin

In the civil parish of Chatton.
In the historic county of Northumberland (Modern Authority of Northumberland, 1974 county of Northumberland).

Ruined remains of a medieval tower house known as Coldmartin Tower. The tower is rectangular in plan and measures around 10m east-west by 9m. The south wall, of coursed roughly squared blocks, stands 2.5m high and measures 1.6m thick; the internal facing has been removed except for one course at ground level, but the ragged core overhangs in a way suggestive of the springing of an east-west vault. The west wall stands one or two courses high for most of its length, but only a few stones of the north and east walls are exposed. The interior of the tower is raised above the surrounding ground level and has an uneven surface, probably composed of fallen masonry from the tower. One stone appears to have been reused from an earlier structure as it bears a cup mark of Bronze Age date. Against the south wall are traces of a stone foundation of an adjacent rectangular structure measuring around 7m by 3m and of function.

This site has been described as a;
Pele Tower.
The confidence that this site is a medieval fortification or palace is Certain.
Uncertain remains.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU00902691

Modern Map from Good for landscape form and features	Modern Map from Good for general location
Air Photo from	1st edition OS Map from

Sources of information, references and further reading

PastScape number; 5672

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N3311

• Web site links
  • http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N3311
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=68
• Books
  • Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing)
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p38
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p330
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p113-4
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p86
    Dodds, Madeleine Hope (ed), 1935, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol14 p215
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p375
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p309
• Journal Articles
  • Hodgson, 1912-15, History of the Berwickshire Naturalist Club Vol22 p314-22 [history]