Isle Tower facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Isle Tower |
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|---|---|
| Bankend, Dumfries and Galloway | |
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| Coordinates | 55°00′20″N 3°31′17″W / 55.005688°N 3.521313°W |
| Type | Tower house |
| Site history | |
| Built | c. 1565 |
| In use | Until 1667 |
Isle Tower, also known as Lochar Tower or Bankend Tower, is a ruined building from the 16th century. It is a type of old castle called a tower house. You can find it in the north of Bankend in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. This tower once belonged to the powerful Maxwell family.
Contents
History of Isle Tower
Building the Tower
Isle Tower was built around 1565. An English report from the 1560s mentions the building. At that time, William Maxwell lived there.
Attacks and Rebuilding
In 1570, Lord Scrope attacked and burned the tower. But the Maxwell family did not give up. William's successor, Edward Maxwell of Isle, rebuilt the tower in 1622. He even added a new stair wing to its northeast side.
The Tower's Decline
The tower seems to have been left empty not long after 1667. This was after Robert Maxwell, the 2nd Earl of Nithsdale, passed away. Over time, the tower fell into ruin. By the late 1800s, much of its southeast side had collapsed. The stair wing, which was added in 1622, fell down in 1969.
What Remains Today
Today, Isle Tower is mostly a ruin. Parts of its walls still stand tall. The inside is filled with rubble, almost up to where the first floor used to be. The tower was about 29 feet long and 22 feet wide. It had thick walls, about 3 feet 4 inches thick. On the ground floor, there were small openings called "shot-holes." These were used for defense. There was also a window facing the Lochar Water.
