Clifton Hall - Clifton, Cumbria UK
Posted by: 
martlakes
N 54° 38.217 W 002° 43.714
30U E 517519 N 6054426
Clifton Hall in the village of Clifton, was a 15th century fortified manor house which was home to the Clifton family for almost 600 years. Only the tower block now survives as a small pele tower which stands on its own beside a farmyard.
Waymark Code: WM3BYC
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 03/11/2008
Views: 64
This 15th-century tower, sole survivor of the manor house of the Wybergh family, was plundered by Jacobites in 1745 before the Battle of Clifton Moor, the last battle fought on English soil.
From the 13th Century through to the beginning of the 17th, the border lands between England and Scotland were home to the Reivers, lawless gangs who survived by plundering livestock, but who also engaged in other practises such as kidnapping and racketeering. The lives and deeds of the Reivers were celebrated in the famous Border Ballads, popularised by Sir Walter Scott in the 18th Century.
Added to these lawless gangs were the incursions of Scottish armies. The farms and churches in the Lake District were frequent targets, abbeys were plundered and burned, people and cattle slaughtered. In an attempt to have some safety, the people of Cumberland and Westmorland built defensive structures known as pele towers, quite unique to the north of England. About 90 were built. See: (
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In its design, the Hall does not have the usual massive walls associated with such towers and it is thought that it was built in the 15th century when Scottish raids had declined for a while. The tower measures 33 ft x 26 ft and comprises three floors, with the ground floor being divided into a number of smaller rooms.
The windows are larger than in some of the other older peles; there is also a newel stair in the south-west corner leading upstairs and to the roof. Some archaeological excavations have uncovered the remains of a Medieval hall and cross-wing. In the 17th century a new larger hall was built on the south side, although no longer standing. Some restoration work was carried out on the building in 1979.