Isel Hall

In the civil parish of Blindcrake.
In the historic county of Cumberland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Tower house and hall wing. Late C14 or early C15 with late C15 hall and C16 extension with C19 alterations. Tower of extremely thick calciferous sandstone rubble walls with flush quoins, under battlemented parapet; gabled greenslate roof within parapets. Hall and wing of mixed calciferous and red sandstone walls, under graduated greenslate roof with C19 yellow brick chimney stacks. Rectangular tower of vaulted basement and 3 storeys over. Hall adjoins north angle of tower almost at right-angles: 2 storeys, 5 bays with 3-storey, 6-bay extension under common roof. Tower has some original loops but mostly irregular 2-light C16 windows under hoodmoulds. Hall and extension have 2- and 3-light Tudor windows and doorway, the parapet with shaped finials. Rear has irregular Tudor doorways and windows. The rear wall of the hall has 2 buttresses. Interior of tower has newel and straight stairs in thickness of walls. Garderobe chamber. Interior of hall has Tudor panelling with traces of contemporary painting. Dated to c.1425 on the site of earlier tower of the Multons

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

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is NY15843368

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; 9468

County Sites and Monuments Record number; 873

• Web site links
  • http://www.visitcumbria.com/cm/iselhall.htm
    http://www.cockermouth.org.uk/touristinfo/iselhall.htm
• Books
  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p16-17
    Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p63
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p215
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p42
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol1 p87
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p101-103
    Pevsner, N., 1967, The Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth, Penguin) p143-4
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p377
    Taylor, M.W., 1892, Old Manorial Halls of Westmorland and Cumberland (CWAAS extra series Vol8) p327-31
• Journal Articles
  • Collingwood, W.G., 1923, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol23 p247-8
    Curwen, J.F., 1911, Transactions Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol11 p122-8
    Taylor, M.W., 1893, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol12 p157-8