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Twizell Castle


Twizell Castle stands on a bend of the River Till near Twizell Bridge, about 3 miles north-west of Cornhill-on-Tweed in Northumberland. A medieval tower house on the site was destroyed by a Scottish army in 1496. Then from c.1770, Sir Francis Blake worked to recreate the castle as a Gothic Revival style mansion, designed by architect James Nesbit. The new building was never completed and in the 19th century, parts of the castle were demolished to provide stone for a new mansion built at another location at Tillmouth Park. The remains of Twizell Castle are Grade II* listed.

Twizell Castle (also spelt Twizel) is a Grade II* listed building and a Scheduled Ancient Monument which stands on a bend of the River Till at Tillmouth Park, Northumberland, northern England. Below it, the medieval Twizell bridge spans the river. It is located south-west of Berwick Upon Tweed. The site is visible from a public footpath, which passes the castle from the road. The gardens of the castle contain the earthwork remains of the once lost medieval village of Twizell, whilst the massive ruin presents the remains of an 18th-century castle which was never completed.

The Castle

A medieval tower house which once stood on the site was, in 1415, held by Sir John Heron. This was destroyed by a Scottish army in 1496 commanded by James IV of Scotland and Perkin Warbeck. James IV returned on 24 August 1513 on his way to besiege Norham Castle, and held a council or parliament at "Twesil" or "Twesilhaugh."

The estate was sold by the Herons circa 1520 to a member of the Selby family. A survey in 1561 reported only the remnants of a tower house and a barmkin. Of the medieval structure, blocked windows, a chamfered doorway and the original north-east angle quoins are all that remains visible now.

In 1685 Sir Francis Blake (d. 1718) purchased the estate from the widow Selby for £1,944, plus an annuity of £100, and the Blake family lived on the estate until 1738 when they moved to nearby Tillmouth Hall.

From about 1770, Sir Francis Blake (d. 1780) worked on the recreation of the castle as a Gothic Revival mansion, designed by architect James Nesbit of Kelso to be five levels tall. Despite some forty years of work, the project was never completed. When in 1882, the Blakes built a new mansion at Tillmouth Park much of the incomplete Twizell Castle was demolished and the stone used in the new construction. The house is now a two-story folly. Rectangular in plan, with circular towers on the angles and two wings on the north side, the basement rooms in the main block are stone and brick-vaulted as a precaution against fire.

The property is in poor order and is officially listed as of 2008 on the English Heritage Heritage at Risk Register.

Text from Wikipedia, available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (accessed: 04/06/2017).
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Cornhill-on-Tweed River Till Historic Buildings and Monuments in Duddo Civil Parish Anglo-Scottish Wars Grade II* Listed Twizell (Duddo) Castles
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Ruins of Twizel Castle above River Till in Northumberland, England

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Twizel Castle

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Inside Twizel Castle

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Ruins of Twizel Castle above River Till in Northumberland, England

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from https://historicengland.org.u…
Twizell Castle - List Entry
- "DUDDO A 698 NT 84 SE (North side, off) 4/47 Twizell Castle 22.12.69 II* Ruined house. Begun c.1770 by and for Sir Francis Blake with the assistance of Nisbet of …

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Twizel Castle

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Twizel Castle near Norham

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Twizel Castle

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A view from the ruins of Twizel Castle

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Remains of Twizel Castle

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Twizel Castle

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from http://www.gatehouse-gazettee…
TWIZELL CASTLE
- "The castle was first recorded in 1415 as the castle of 'Twysill' held by Sir John Heron, but it was destroyed by the Scots in 1496 and abandoned. A survey …

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Simon Cotterill
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Twizel castle, Northumberland

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Anglo-Scottish Wars
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Anglo-Scottish Wars
- This is not an exhaustive list! Can you contribute to the Visual Timeline?   937  Battle of Brunanburh   1018   Battle of Carham   1093  Battle of Alnwick   1174 …
River Till
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River Till
- The River Till is one of a number of tributaries of the River Tweed, but the only one to flow completely in England. The Till iself has several tributaries including, …
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Twizell Castle, Tillmouth, Northumberland, May 2017

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Twizell Castle, Tillmouth, Northumberland, May 2017

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Twizell Castle, Tillmouth, Northumberland, May 2017

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Under the rocks at Twizel Castle, May 2017

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List number: 1042168
List grade: 2*
County: Northumberland
Grid ref: NT8829843407
Post code: TD12 4UX

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