| Summary : The Lord's Mount is a massive curved stone bulwark which was built in the 1540s to protect the town walls at their weakest point. An earth bulwark had been built in front of the medieval bell tower in 1522, overlooking the long bank and ditch in the fields to the north of the walls, later recut and known as 'Spades Mire'. By 1539, however, the bulwark needed to "be made smaller so that fewer men could guard...where the walls were weakest". The construction of Lord's Mount marked a small but significant step in the development of military architecture. It has six vaulted gun casements, each with expense magazines in the side walls, and smoke vents. The sills of the casemates originally had pin holes for swivel guns, which were later replaced by guns on simple carriages. There was once a kitchen here, and the remains of the fireplace can still be seen. The upper floor also has gun embrasures, but it was used principally for accommodation, with an upper gun deck behind a parapet. |
More information : A post medieval artillery fort is visible as a structure on air photographs at NT 9987 5356. The fort is oval in form, measuring 34m by 24m, with internal structures visible. (1)
Lord's Mount, completed in 1542, was the most advanced piece of military engineering of its time, designed to reinforce the most vulnerable salient on the North-East corner of Berwick's town defences. The face curved a full 245 degrees with 20 foot thick masonry faced in ashlar. There were 6 deep casemates mounting artillery. It was made obsolete by the contraction of the town to a more defendable enceinte in Elizabeth's reign. (2)
Accessible publication for visitors mentioning Lord's Mount. (3) |