Cockle Park Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cockle Park Tower |
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| Northumberland, England | |
Cockle Park Tower from the southwest
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 Cockle Park Tower
Location in Northumberland
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| Coordinates | 55°12′47″N 1°41′02″W / 55.213°N 1.684°W |
Cockle Park Tower is a very old and important building located in a small village called Cockle Park, in Northumberland, England. It's about 4 miles (6.4 km) north of a town called Morpeth. This tower is so special that it's listed as a Grade 1 building, which means it's one of the most important historic buildings in the country.
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What is Cockle Park Tower?
Cockle Park Tower is a type of building known as a tower-house. It has three floors and was built a very long time ago, in the 15th century (which means the 1400s). Back then, it was used as a hunting lodge. This was a place where people would stay when they went hunting for animals in the nearby forests.
How Was It Built?
The tower was later made bigger with more rooms added for living. It also has some cool old defense features. For example, one part of the building has two small turrets called bartisans. These are like small towers sticking out from the main building. Between these turrets, there's a special design called machicolation. This allowed defenders to drop things like stones or hot water on attackers below, protecting the walls.
The Tower's Later Life
For a while, until the mid-1970s, Cockle Park Tower was used as a place for students to live. It was like a dormitory or a hostel. However, around that time, the building started to have some big problems with its structure. It needed a lot of repairs to make it safe again.
Future Plans for the Tower
Newcastle University owns the tower and the land around it. They had plans to fix up the tower and make it part of a new project. This project is called the Centre for Renewable Energy from Land (CREEL). Renewable energy is power that comes from natural sources that can be replaced, like sunlight, wind, or plants. The university wanted to use the tower as part of this center to study and develop new ways to create clean energy from the land.
Images for kids
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Cockle Park Tower from the southwest
