Prior Castell’s Tower, Inner Farne Island

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Farne Island Tower; Prior Castel’s Tower

In the civil parish of North Sunderland.
In the historic county of Durham; North (Modern Authority of Northumberland, 1974 county of Northumberland).

Tower house. Originally a 4-storey building, now 3-storey. Said to be for Robert Castell, Prior of Durham 1494-1519, but appears to incorporate earlier work. Random rubble with chamfered plinth. 3 storeys. Round-headed doorway on south side. Offset above 1st floor. Castellated parapet with higher stair turret in south-west corner which has 2 very small lancets to the stairs. On north side 3 scattered early C19 windows with pointed-arched heads and intersecting glazing bars. Interior: keeled tunnel-vaulted ground floor with well in the corner. Mural stair to 2nd floor given handrail, splat balusters and newels with incised Gothick decoration. 1st floor room has trefoiled piscina. Garderobe with seat. 2 C18 segmental- arched fireplaces, one incorporating earlier stonework. The original room divided in two by screen of mid C18 panelling with 2 segmental-arched cupboards. Used as a fort between 1559 and 1637. Repaired 1848 and 1927-8.

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

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law.
This site is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 410373)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NU21783599

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; 1085348

County Sites and Monuments Record number; N5889

• Web site links
  • http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/historicproperties/index.cfm?fuseaction=property&property_id=196
    http://www.castleuk.net/castle_lists_north/75/farneislandtower.htm
    http://www.keystothepast.info/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N5889
    http://www.sine.newcastle.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=55
• Books
  • Harrison, Peter, 2004, Castles of God (Woodbridge; Boydell Press) p67
    Brooke, C.J., 2000, Safe Sanctuaries (Edinburgh; John Donald) p79-81
    Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Keepdate Publishing) p135-6
    Ryder, P.F., 1999, Archaeology in Northumberland 1998-1999 p28-29
    Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern) p54
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p184
    Dobson, B., 1992, 'The Church of Durham and the Scottish Borders 1378-88' in Goodman, A. and Tuck, A. (eds), War and Border Societies in the Middle Ages (London; Routledge)
    Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), The Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p277
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p333
    Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p157-8
    Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p103
    Watt, G., 1951, The Farne Islands p31-2, 34-5, 41-2
    Bates, C.J., 1891, Border Holds of Northumberland (London and Newcastle: Andrew Reid) p26
    Raine, J., 1852, History and Antiquities of North Durham (London) p339, 360-2
• Journal Articles
  • Hadcock, R.N., 1939, 'Map of Mediaeval Northum and Durham' Archaeologia Aeliana [ser4] Vol16 p171
    Tate, G., 1850-6, History of the Berwickshire Naturalists Club Vol3 p226-7
• Guidebooks
  • Farne Islands Guide Book (National Trust)
• Antiquarian (Histories and accounts from late medieval and early modern writers)
  • William Camden, 1607, Britannia [http://www.philological.bham.ac.uk/cambrit/isleseng.html#25]