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LANGLEY CASTLE

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DESCRIPTION

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Tower house, built circa 1350, and in ruins by 1541. It was restored circa 1900 and was later used as a girls' school. A four storey central block with five storey angle towers projecting from the east and west faces. A later 14th century forebuilding is set in the re-entrant angle of the south east tower and the east face. Probably the finest tower house in Northumberland, Langley Castle is thought to have been built by Sir Thomas de Lucy and later belonged to the Earl of Northumberland.

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[NY 83476247] Langley Castle [G.T.] (1)

A tower-house of C.1350. In ruins in 1541, and restored in the 1890s. It comprises a central hall with four angle towers; the upper room of the S.E. tower may have been the chapel. (2-3)

In good condition and now occupied by St. Cuthbert's School for Girls. The chapel has been completely restored. See GPs AO 56/353/2 & 3 for southern and eastern aspects respectively. (4)

Condition unchanged. (5)

Langley Castle, Grade I, now used as a girls' school. Castellated 4-storeyed tower-house of c.1350, restored in 1890's. Very
impressive rectangular tower with corner towers. A fine original.
Decorated window above the pointed arched entrance doorway, other windows mostly imitations. Stone water spouts, loop lights, fireplaces. A special feature is the unusually elaborate latrine
tower. See Pevsner. (6)

Langley Castle 20/10/52 Grade I. Castle, c.1350 restored by Cadwallader Bates c. 1900. Squared stone, roofs not visible. Large and impressive tower-house consisting of a rectangular 4-storeyed central block with square 5-storey angle towers projecting from the longer east and west faces. Later C14 forebuilding containing entrance and newel stair set in re-entrant angle of south-east tower and east front. East elevation with pointed double-chamfered entrance arch in forebuilding and various windows, some restored. South elevation with twin stepped buttresses capped by corbelled-out circular bartizans. Central door and flanking windows and 1st floor windows C19, other windows C14, some restored. Garderobe projections with arched openings on south and west side of base of south-west tower. West elevation has a variety of traceried windows, some C19 and some restored C14. All ground floor openings C19. North elevation similar to south, C19 ground floor door, restored C14 windows. Embattled parapets, bartizans and turrets all C19 although probably a reasonably correct restoration. Interior; all floors and woodwork C19, C14 doorways, fireplaces, vaulted guardrooms in forebuilding etc. Elaborate garderobe arrangements in south-west tower.

Probably the finest tower-house in Northumberland, Langley Castle is thought to have been built by Sir Thomas de Lucy and later belonged to the Earl of Northumberland. It was already a roofless ruin in 1541 but remained a tolerably intact shell until Bates' restoration.

J.H. Parker 'Domestic Architecture in England' II 1853 332-334 C. Bates 'The Barony and Castle of Langley' Arch. Aeliana X 1885
38-56 (7)

Listed by Cathcart King and Dodds. (8,9)

SOURCE TEXT

( 1) Ordnance Survey Map (Scale / Date)

OS 6" 1920-46

( 2) by John Grundy et al 1992 Northumberland

The Buildings of England 1957 Page(s)203

( 3) Archaeologia Aeliana : or miscellaneous tracts relating to antiquity

Bates, CJ 10 - 1885 Page(s)45-56

( 4a) Oral information, correspondence (not archived) or staff comments

( 4) Field Investigators Comments

F1 ASPhillips/31-OCT-1956/OS Archaeology Division Field Investigation

( 5) Field Investigators Comments

F2 JRFoster/19-OCT-1965/OS Archaeology Division Field Investigation

( 6) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

DOE (HHR) Hexham RD Northumberland Aug 1968 29

( 7) List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest

DOE (HHR) District of Tynedale Northumberland Feb 1985 31

(8) David J Cathcart King 1983 Castellarium anglicanum : an index and bibliography of the castles in England, Wales and the Islands. Volume II : Norfolk-Yorkshire and the islands

2 - 1983 Page(s)337

(9) Dodds, JF 1988 Bastions and Belligerents: Medieval Strongholds in Northumberland

Page(s)402-5

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