Arnside Tower

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as; Armside

In the civil parish of Arnside. In the historic county of Westmorland (Modern Authority of Cumbria, 1974 county of Cumbria).

Fortified Tower House. Probably C15. Burnt 1602, repaired probably mid C17, dismantled C17. Massive limestone rubble walls with roughly dressed stone details. Staircase tower of rectangular plan and projecting garderobe. Formerly 5 storeys. Window openings to all sides, some blocked or extended: surviving openings have square heads. Parapet, projecting on rounded corbels, survives to North-west corner. Interior has remains of cross-wall incorporating newel stair, fireplaces with stone lintels and a niche on the first floor said to have been used as a piscina which suggests that the East corner may have been a chapel. Although ruinous at time of survey it appears to be a unique example in this area of a freestanding tower without a hall block. (PastScape–ref. Listed building report)
Sometime called a pele tower but more a towerhouse than a pele to my mind. Although has small windows and was probably battlemented this is clearly a domestic house, not a fortress.

This site is a scheduled monument protected by law. This is a Grade 2* listed building protected by law*. (Images of England number 76544)

The Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference is SD45777684

Air Photo from Air Photo and general mapping	1st edition OS Map from Mid to late 19th century maps
Modern Map from Landscape form and features	Modern Map from General location and route planning
Geograph British Isles occasionally has photos of the site and will usually give an idea of the surrounding landscape.

Sources of information, references and further reading

This site's English Heritage (PastScape) Defra or Monument number is 41500
This site's County Historic Environment Record (formerly Sites and Monuments Record) number is 2522 'grey' literature, such as watching brief reports, held by H.E.R.s is often poorly referenced and is unlikely to be recorded in this website.

• Web site links
  • http://www.visitcumbria.com/sl/arnsidetower.htm
    http://www.ecastles.co.uk/arnside.html
    http://www.matthewpemmott.co.uk/2006/08/arnside-tower-arnisde.html
    http://www.matthewpemmott.co.uk/2008/10/arnside-tower2008-autumn-visit.html
• Books
  • Perriam, Denis and Robinson, John, 1998, The Medieval Fortified Buildings of Cumbria (CWAAS) p325
    Salter, Mike, 1998, The Castles and Tower Houses of Cumbria (Malvern) p15
    Emery, Anthony, 1996, Greater Medieval Houses Vol1 (Cambridge) p183
    Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge) p265
    Cope, Jean, 1991, Castles in Cumbria (Cicerone Press) p117-18
    King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol2 p490
    Hugill, Robert, 1977, Castles and Peles of Cumberland and Westmorland (Newcastle; Frank Graham) p32-3
    Pevsner, Nikolaus, 1967, Buildings of England: Cumberland and Westmorland (Harmondsworth) p221
    RCHME, 1936, An inventory of the historical monuments in Westmorland (HMSO) p14-15 plan
    Curwen, J.F., 1913, Castles and Fortified Towers of Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands (Kendal) p249-50
    Harvey, Alfred, 1911, Castles and Walled Towns of England (Methuen and Co)
    Mackenzie, J.D., 1897, Castles of England (Heinemann) Vol2 p281-2
    Taylor, M.W., 1892, Old Manorial Halls of Westmorland and Cumberland (CWAAS extra series Vol8) p217-19 http://www.archive.org/stream/oldmanorialhall00taylgoog#page/n322/mode/2up
    Turner, T.H. and Parker, J.H., 1859, Some account of Domestic Architecture in England (Oxford) Vol3 pt2 p208
• Journal Articles
  • 1934, Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol34 p214
    Barnes, J.A., 1904, 'Hazelslack and Arnside Towers' Transactions of the Cumberland and Westmorland Antiquarian and Archaeological Society Vol4 p341-2 http://www.archive.org/stream/transactionsofcu04cumb#page/341/mode/1up