Paull Holme Tower

Description

site of the medieval moated manor of Paull Holme. It includes a dry rectangular moat surrounding a raised island measuring 190 metres north to south and 100 metres east to west. Three arms of the moat are visible, the northern, eastern and southern. The southern arm has, however been re-dug and incorporated within later field drains which are still in use. The western arm of the moat has been completely infilled. The island appears, from 19th century maps, to have been sub-divided by a ditch which ran from east to west across the site; this feature has also been infilled. To the north of this feature, earthworks visible on the island are the remains of a medieval manor house which formerly occupied the site. A brick tower also occupies this side of the moated site. It is late 15th century in date, and has a tunnel-vaulted basement with two upper storeys above. The tower is in a ruinous condition and is roofless. The tower is a Grade I listed building. The manor was the home of the Holme family. The brick tower was an element of a brick house built during the 15th century. This house continued in use until the 19th century, when it was robbed to provide building materials for new buildings away from the moated site. In 1871 the tower was converted into a gazebo by Colonel Bryn Holme. Since 1900 the tower has fallen into ruin. (Scheduling Report)

Tower house. Mid-late C15 for Holme family. Restorations of 1871 for Colonel Bryn Holme. Banded red and blue brick in English bond (original sections with blue brick header courses). Some limestone ashlar dressings, otherwise of moulded brick. Rectangular on plan. 3 stages, marked by external chamfered brick set-backs with ashlar blocks at angles. 2 storeys with basement and parapet wall walk. First stage. South side has 4- centred-arched entrance of 2 hollow-chamfered orders with internal portcullis slot, and narrow blocked pointed door to right. West side has narrow window with chamfered segmental-pointed reveal, and blocked opening to right with inserted timber lintel. North side has damaged square-headed opening to left, perhaps inserted. East side has narrow chamfered segmental-pointed window. Second stage. South side has blocked doorway to right with mutilated head and inserted timber lintel, small blocked square opening to left. West side has central opening, blocked below, with inserted (probably C19) pointed ashlar 2-light window with foiled Y-tracery, moulded mullions and reveal, beneath fragmentary hoodmould; rectangular recessed panel above with ashlar head and chamfered brick reveal, containing ashlar relief tablet bearing tilted shield with arms of Holme quartered with those of Wasteneys, flanked by 3 roses. North side has narrow chamfered segmental-pointed window with square-headed loop to left. East side has 4- centred-arch window with chamfered reveal, and inserted square-headed 2- light ashlar window to right with chamfered mullion and reveal. Third stage. South side has blocked twin segmental-pointed window with roll- moulded reveal beneath triangular-headed tile hoodmoulds. West side has similar central window. North side has similar window but with chamfered reveals. East side has central door with damaged sill and arched head, with small blocked chamfered segmental-pointed window to left. Chamfered brick corbels carrying projecting parapet, originally embattled, now ruinous, with single ridge-coped merlon standing on east side. Interior. Elliptical barrel-vaulted basement: south side has pair of arched recesses, one with a chamfered arch; west side has pair of chamfered arched recesses, one with stepped reveal to blocked inserted opening, the other with window in hollow chamfered reveal; north side has fireplace with damaged arch and chamfered arched reveal to damaged opening; east side has arched recesses to garderobe and to window in hollow chamfered reveal, and segmental-arched door to mural staircase in east wall. Staircase has stone treads, tunnel vault, splayed reveal to blocked outer door at foot, stepped reveal to blocked side window. First floor: south side has flattened triangular-headed chamfered fireplace flanked by single-arched recesses, arched doorway to corner lobby at foot of upper stairs to left, with blocked 4-centred-arched door in outer wall; west side has a full-width tripartite recess, the damaged central chamfered arched section (containing the 2-light ashlar window) flanked by low side recesses; north side has pair of arched recesses and arched stepped reveal to window; east side has a 4-centred-arched door to the lower staircase, a doorway to left beneath an inserted timber lintel, into an L-shaped mural chamber with loop in splayed reveal and garderobe with window and ashlar- lined hatch, and a slightly recessed section to right with a segmental-pointed doorway to upper mural staircase and projecting section of wall above carried on 3 chamfered corbels. Mural staircase in east wall has blocked window and damaged outer opening at second floor landing. Floor missing. Original features on second floor partly obscured by C19 plaster. South side has traces of blocked segmental openings, probably recesses and window reveal; west side has central arched recess with stepped window reveal flanked by tall narrow arched recesses; north side, with C19 patching, has wide recess and small square recess; east side has damaged door to landing. Recesses throughout have either segmental or segmental- pointed arches. East mural staircase continues to ruinous parapet and wall walk. Section of low arched inner' recess to south side. The tower formed part of a larger moated house, and was probably attached at the north end of a hall block. The arms on the west face post-date the marriage in 1438 of Elizabeth Wasteneys and John Holme, for whom it may have been built. One of the most important medieval brick buildings in the Humberside-Yorkshire area, suffering seriously from neglect at time of resurvey. (Listed Building Report)

Comments

The site was that of the manor house well before the C15. The parish church was reputedly adjacent to the manor until it was moved to its current position, on high land 1 mile NW, in the C14 after being damaged by flooding.
After years on the Heritage at Risk Register and being in a state of serious decay the tower was stabilised in 2014 and in Dec 2016 was given a grant for restoration work which should be finished by the end of 2017 securing the tower.