Turton Tower

Last updated

Turton Tower
Turton Tower.jpg
Location map United Kingdom Blackburn with Darwen.svg
Red pog.svg
Location within Blackburn with Darwen
General information
TypeManor house
Location Chapeltown, Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire
CountryEngland
Coordinates 53°37′59″N2°24′27″W / 53.6330°N 2.4075°W / 53.6330; -2.4075 Coordinates: 53°37′59″N2°24′27″W / 53.6330°N 2.4075°W / 53.6330; -2.4075
Construction startedEarly 15th century
Completed1596
OwnerBlackburn with Darwen Council
Listed Building – Grade I
Designated27 January 1967
Reference no. 1241557

Turton Tower is a manor house in Chapeltown in North Turton, Borough of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is a scheduled ancient monument and a grade I listed building. [1]

Contents

It was built in the late Middle Ages as a two-storey stone pele tower which was altered and enlarged mainly in late 16th century. It is built on high ground 600 feet above sea level about four miles north of Bolton. William Camden described it as being built "amongst precipices and wastes." A north wing and additions were made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I and alterations were made during the early years of Queen Victoria. [2]

Structure

The oldest part of the building, which was probably built in the early 15th century, is the stone pele tower which measures 45 feet in length from north to south and is 28 feet in width. It is about 35 feet in height with walls four feet thick. In the northwest corner of the tower, the shaft of a garderobe projects from the main structure. The tower had three low storeys as evidenced by the blocked window openings. Its walls are rough with large corner quoins. [2]

During the early 16th century, two cruck framed buildings were added to the tower, and later an extension at the front of the house created the entrance with its imposing front door. Inside the building, this Tudor architecture can be seen, including part of the cruck structure along with exposed and restored sections of the wattle and daub and lath and plaster wall panelling. [3] The entrance and entrance hall belonged to the rebuilding of 1596 when vast changes were made, and the tower raised to its present height. The new upper storey was built in ashlar stone separated from the old rubble walling by a moulded string course. The old floors were removed, and the walls were raised to 45 feet to the top of the battlements. The narrow windows were blocked up, and replaced by large three, four, and five-light mullioned and transomed windows, transforming the appearance of the old part of the building. During the 17th century, the cruck buildings were clad in stone and the structure remained unchanged until the 19th century. Small alterations in the 18th and early 19th century by the Chetham family before the house passed to Kay family. After 1835 the Kay's were responsible for Victorian renovations, including the Dutch gable façade. [3] Other alterations include the Ashworth and Bradshaw rooms.

Occupants

Turton Tower was home to the lords of the Manor of Turton and, in about 1200, was part of the barony of Manchester, by which time part of the manor was in the hands of the de Lathom family. It was inherited in 1420 by the Orrells, who rebuilt the pele tower. In 1603 William Camden described it as built first for defence, that tournaments were held there in the 14th century and that it was entirely rebuilt of stone in 1594. [4] In 1628 the Orrells sold Turton Tower to Humphrey Chetham, the Manchester merchant responsible for the creation of Chetham's Library and Chetham's School of Music. It passed to his descendants, the Bland, Green and Frere families who leased it to a succession of tenant farmers. [2]

The tower was sold in a state of disrepair in 1835 to James Kay, who restored it. He sold the tower to Elizabeth and Anne Appleton who leased it to William Rigg, a calico manufacturer, whose daughter, Ellen, wrote "Victorian Children at Turton Tower". In 1903 the tower was bought by Sir Lees Knowles, 1st Baronet, MP for Salford West, for £3,875. After his death in 1929, his widow, Lady Nina Knowles, presented it to Turton Urban District Council in 1930, and it became the council's seat of local government. [5]

After local government re-organisation in 1974, Turton was split, and the tower became part of the new Borough of Blackburn and was administered by Lancashire County Museums Service. Following changes to the Lancashire County Museum Service, the tower was taken over by Blackburn with Darwen Council.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blackburn</span> Town in Lancashire, England

Blackburn is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, 8 mi (13 km) east of Preston and 21 mi (34 km) north-northwest of Manchester. Blackburn is the core centre of the wider unitary authority area along with the town of Darwen. It is one of the largest districts in Lancashire, with commuter links to neighbouring cities of Manchester, Salford, Preston, Lancaster, Liverpool, Bradford and Leeds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Bentley (football manager)</span>

John James Bentley was an English football player and manager, captain, and variously secretary, treasurer and president of Turton F.C., secretary of Bolton Wanderers, the fourth full-time secretary of Manchester United, president of the Football League and vice-president of The Football Association.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hoghton Tower</span> Grade I listed historic house museum in Lancashire, England

Hoghton Tower is a fortified manor house two-thirds of a mile (1 km) east of the village of Hoghton, Lancashire, England, and standing on a hilltop site on the highest point in the area. It takes its name from the de Hoghton family, its historical owners since at least the 12th century. The present house dates from about 1560–65.

Harwood is a suburb to the north-northeast of Bolton, Greater Manchester, bordering Bury in North West England. Harwood is also part of the historic county of Lancashire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Whalley Abbey</span> Former Cistercian abbey in Lancashire, England

Whalley Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey in Whalley, Lancashire, England. After the dissolution of the monasteries, the abbey was largely demolished and a country house was built on the site. In the 20th century the house was modified and it is now the Retreat and Conference House of the Diocese of Blackburn of the Church of England. The ruins of the abbey are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and are a Scheduled Ancient Monument.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tockholes</span> Human settlement in England

Tockholes is a village and civil parish which forms part of the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority in the English county of Lancashire, England. Tockholes consists of the village of Tockholes itself and the hamlet of Ryal Fold, and has a population of 454, increasing to 478 at the 2011 Census. It lies on the West Pennine Moors and is surrounded by the towns of Blackburn to the north and Darwen to the east and by the villages of Belmont to the south and Withnell to the west. Darwen Tower is a prominent local landmark that lies to the east of Tockholes and the Roddlesworth Reservoirs and Tockholes forest plantation lie to the south with the M65 passing to the north. There are two churches: Tockholes United Reformed Church and Saint Stephen's Church.

Bradshaw is a village of the unparished area of South Turton in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. It gives its name to the larger Bradshaw electoral ward, which includes Harwood. Historically a part of Lancashire, Bradshaw lies on the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edgworth</span> Human settlement in England

Edgworth is a small village within the borough of Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. It is north east of North Turton between Broadhead Brook on the west and Quarlton Brook in the south east. The ground ranges from 650 feet (200 m) to 1,100 feet (340 m) above sea level.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chapeltown, Lancashire</span> Human settlement in England

Chapeltown is a village of the civil parish of North Turton, in the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority, in the north west of England. It is on the B6391 road, on the southern slopes of the West Pennine Moors. The village was once the historic centre of the old Turton Urban District.

Turton is a historical area in the North West of England. It is divided between the ceremonial counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester. The Turton area is located north of Bolton and south of Blackburn. The area historically formed a township in the ancient parish of Bolton le Moors. The principal village in the township is now known as Chapeltown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clayton Hall</span> Building in Greater Manchester, England

Clayton Hall is a 15th-century manor house on Ashton New Road, in Clayton, Manchester, England. It is hidden behind trees in a small park. The hall is a Grade II* listed building, the mound on which it is built is a scheduled ancient monument, and a rare example of a medieval moated site. The hall is surrounded by a moat, making an island 66 m by 74 m. Alterations were made to the hall in the 16th and 17th centuries, and it was enlarged in the 18th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Entwistle, Lancashire</span> Human settlement in England

Entwistle is a village in the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority in Lancashire in the north west of England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bratton Court</span> Building in England

Bratton Court in the hamlet of Bratton within the parish of Minehead Without, Somerset, England was built as a manor house, with a 14th-century open hall and 15th-century solar hall. It is within the Exmoor National Park and has been designated as a Grade I listed building. It was enlarged in the 17th century and extensively altered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is now a farmhouse divided into 2 dwellings. The gatehouse and the barn at the west end of the courtyard date from the fifteenth century and are also listed as Grade I buildings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Chad's Church, Poulton-le-Fylde</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Chad's Church is an Anglican church in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Lancaster. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. A church on the site was built no later than the 11th century and may have existed prior to the Norman conquest of England. The tower dates from the 17th century, and much of the remainder of the building from a major renovation in the 18th century, although some of the fabric of the original structure remains. Further renovation and additions took place in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Leonard's Church, Walton-le-Dale</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Leonard's Church is an Anglican church in Walton-le-Dale, Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Blackburn. In 1950 it was designated as a Grade II* listed building. Parts of the church date from the 16th century and the nave and transepts were rebuilt in the early 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Peter's Church, Burnley</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Peter's Church is an Anglican church in the town of Burnley, Lancashire, England. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Blackburn. The oldest part of the church, the lower tower, dates from the 15th century, and there are several later additions and restorations. St Peter's is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martholme</span> Grade I listed English country house in Lancashire, England

Martholme is a grade I listed medieval manor house standing on the banks of the River Calder 1+14 miles (2 km) from Great Harwood, Lancashire, England and 5 miles (8 km) north-east of Blackburn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Wilfrid's Church, Halton-on-Lune</span> Church in Lancashire, England

St Wilfrid's Church is an Anglican church in Halton-on-Lune, a village in the English county of Lancashire. It is an active parish church in the Diocese of Blackburn and the archdeaconry of Lancaster. Halton may have been the site of an ancient Anglo-Saxon minster. Of the current structure, the tower dates from the 16th century and the remainder was built 1876–77 by Paley and Austin. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hall house</span> Vernacular house typical of Britain, centred on a hall

The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples were built in stone.

North Turton is a civil parish in Blackburn with Darwen, Lancashire, England. Included in the parish are the settlements of Edgworth, Chapeltown, Belmont, Entwistle, Quarlton, Round Barn, Turton Bottoms, and Whittlestone Head. The parish contains 66 buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England as designated listed buildings. Of these, one is listed at Grade I, the highest of the three grades, five at Grade II*, the middle grade, and the others are at Grade II, the lowest grade.

References

  1. Historic England & 1241557.
  2. 1 2 3 Farrer, William; Brownbill, J, eds. (1911), "Turton", A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 5, British History Online, pp. 273–281, retrieved 24 August 2010
  3. 1 2 Turton Tower Architecture, Blackburn Council, archived from the original on 3 March 2012, retrieved 25 August 2010
  4. Fishwick, Lieut-Colonel; Ditchfield, Rev PH (1909). Memorials of Old Lancashire, Vol 2. London: Bemrose and Sons. p. 20.
  5. Robinson Dowland, Martin (1999). Turton Tower: A Guide. Lancashire County Museums. pp. 23–24. ISBN   090 222 8749.

Bibliography