Barnhills Tower facts for kids

Barnhills Tower A 16th century fortified tower house, now in ruins, standing in a woodland strip by Craigend Burn. This view from an adjacent field, shows gunloops on the outer walls of the ivy-clad ruin. The ground floor chamber was originally barrel-vaulted.

Barnhills Tower was a strong stone house built a long time ago in the 1500s. It was a type of building called a tower house. You can find its ruins about 4.5 miles (7.2 km) west of Jedburgh in Scotland. It stands near the Craigend Burn, which flows into the River Teviot.

History of Barnhills Tower

The Turnbull family used to own Barnhills Tower. In 1545, during a time of fighting between Scotland and England, the English army burned the tower. This period of conflict was known as the "Rough Wooing."

Even after being burned, Barnhills Tower was still important. In 1548 and 1549, it was one of the places chosen to watch over the crossing points of the River Tweed. People also used to call the castle "Barne helles" or "Barnehyll."

What's Left of Barnhills Tower?

Today, only parts of Barnhills Tower remain. You can still see the vaulted basement, which is like a strong, arched cellar. There are also hints of a staircase in one corner.

The tower was shaped like a rectangle, about 34 feet (10.4 meters) long and 25 feet (7.6 meters) wide. It was built from rough stones called rubble, mostly freestone. The windows that are still there have special sloped edges called chamfers.

The main door was on the east side of the tower. Inside, three steps led down to the ground floor. A staircase went south inside the thick wall, and you can still see traces of it today.