Twizell Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Twizell Castle |
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| Northumberland, England, UK | |
Twizell Castle
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 Twizell Castle
Location in Northumberland
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| Coordinates | 55°40′59″N 2°11′17″W / 55.683°N 2.188°W |
Twizell Castle (sometimes spelled Twizel) is an old building in Northumberland, northern England. It sits by the River Till in a place called Tillmouth Park. This castle is considered very important. It is a Grade II* listed building, which means it's a special historic building. It is also a Scheduled Ancient Monument, protecting its ancient history.
Right below the castle, you can see the old Twizell Bridge, which crosses the river. The castle is about 10 miles (16 km) southwest of Berwick Upon Tweed. You can see the castle from a public path that goes right past it. In the castle's gardens, you can find the remains of a medieval village that used to be there. The castle itself is a large ruin from the 1700s that was never fully built.
The Castle's History
Long ago, in 1415, a medieval tower house stood where Twizell Castle is now. Sir John Heron owned this tower house. Sadly, a Scottish army led by James IV of Scotland and Perkin Warbeck destroyed it in 1496. King James IV came back on August 24, 1513. He stopped at "Twesil" or "Twesilhaugh" to hold a meeting before attacking Norham Castle.
Around 1520, the Heron family sold the land to the Selby family. A report in 1561 said there were only parts of the old tower house and a barmkin (a protective wall) left. John Selby seemed to fix up the buildings. When he died in 1595, a list of his belongings mentioned new rooms, a gallery, and rooms in the tower. Today, you can still see some old parts of the medieval building. These include blocked-up windows, a special doorway, and original corner stones.
From Family Home to Grand Ruin
In 1685, Sir Francis Blake bought the estate from the Selby family for £1,944. The Blake family lived there until 1738, when they moved to a nearby place called Tillmouth Hall.
Around 1770, another Sir Francis Blake started to rebuild the castle. He wanted to make it a grand Gothic Revival mansion. This style was popular for making new buildings look like old castles. The architect, James Nesbit, designed it to be five stories tall. Even though they worked on it for about 40 years, the castle was never finished.
In 1882, the Blake family built a new mansion at Tillmouth Park. They tore down much of the unfinished Twizell Castle and used its stones for the new building. What remains today is a two-story ruin, sometimes called a "folly." A folly is a building built mainly for decoration. It has a rectangular shape with round towers at the corners and two wings on the north side. The rooms in the basement are made of stone and brick arches to protect against fire.
Today, the castle is not in good condition. Since 2008, it has been on the English Heritage Heritage at Risk Register. This list includes historic places that need urgent repair and care.
