More information : NZ 2438 6413: Durham Tower (NR) (1)
Durham Tower (remains of). (2)
Good condition, see photograph. (3)
Town wall with Durham Tower, late 13th century. Grade 1. (4)
Newcastle upon Tyne town walls, scheduled. (5)
A section of curtain wall including Durham Tower and section of town ditch situated between Stowell Street and Westgate Road parallel to Bath Lane. It represents part of the western side of the circuit and includes a 90 metres upstanding section of curtain wall, a tower and a turret. Outside the wall there is a length of berm and part of the town ditch. The latter survives below ground level as an infilled and buried feature.
Newcastle's town defences were constructed from the mid 13th century to the middle or late 14th century, enclosing an area of more than 60 hectares. The riverside lengths of curtain wall were added during the 15th century. The masonry defences were strengthened by a berm and ditch except on the south side where they were bounded by the River Tyne. The defences were refurbished during the medieval period and repaired several times during the post medieval period.
The curtain wall in this section is constructed of large, square sandstone blocks bonded with mortar. It is about 2 metres wide and 4 metres high at maximum. In places the the curtain wall retains part of the wall walk including the parapet and steep coping stones. The tower is situated towards the north eastern end of this part of the curtain wall and projects 4 metres from its outer face. The tower is visible as a semi circular shaped building with a rectangular ground floor chamber constructed of coursed and squared ashlar sandstone blocks. The tower retains its stone vaulted roof and narrow window loops on the west and south sides. There is an entrance on the north side which retains a narrow stone lintel. The tower has several external projecting corbels which are interpreted as support for timber hoardings or galleries. There is a single turret in this section at the junction of the curtain wall with Stowell Street. It is visible as a row of seven closely spafed corbels projecting from the inner face of the wall walk with four courses of superstructure remaining. In front of the curtain wall there are the remains of the berm and town ditch. Scheduled.(6) |