Corbridge Low Hall (The Gatehouse Record)

Also known as, or recorded in historical documents as;
Baxters Tower

In the civil parish of Corbridge.
In the historic county of Northumberland.
Modern Authority of Northumberland.
1974 county of Northumberland.
Medieval County of Northumberland.

OS Map Grid Reference: NY99136432
Latitude 54.97345° Longitude -2.01496°

Corbridge Low Hall has been described as a certain Pele Tower.

There are major building remains.

This is a Grade 1 listed building protected by law*.

Description

House with tower. Original house C13 or early C14, service end heightened as tower in mid to late C15, main block remodelled in later C16 and again c.1675. Restoration and major extensions to rear c.1890. Roughly-squared stone and rubble with cut dressings; stone slate roofs.
South elevation in 2 parts: left part 2 storeys, 3 bays, irregular; tower on right 3 storeys. Main part has 3-light windows except for 2-light between bays to right (replacing pre-1890 door), with 1700 sundial above; to far right remains of chamfered shoulder-arched or pointed doorway to screens passage of original house. C19 moulded corbels to eaves; coped left end gable with finials; stepped-and-corniced left end and ridge stacks. Tower to right has 2-light window, 3-light windows to upper floors and hollow-chamfered cornice below flat-coped parapet; hipped roof. All windows leaded casements, in recessed and chamfered surrounds.
Right return shows late C19 door with elaborate studding and ironwork in renewed shouldered arch, chamfered 1st floor loop and 2 stone spouts below parapet. Left return shows small C13 or C14 window with pointed arch, to right of C19 porch.
Interior: Drawing room (original hall) has old chamfered beams on C19 moulded corbels and 2 service doorways in broad chamfered surrounds. Tower has east-west barrel vault and mural stair to 1st floor; newel stair to higher levels, lit by original loops (now internal). One jamb of original rear through-passage door remains; and the third service door appears to have been re-set in a rebuilt rear wall, possibly in the C16. Rich late C19 fittings include several fireplaces with fine carved hoods. (Listed Building Report)

House, built in C13/early C14 and converted to a tower house by the heightening of the service end in the mid/late C15. The main block was remodelled in the later C16 and again circa 1675. The house was restored and extended circa 1890. (PastScape)
The nucleus of the building known as Low Hall is a mediaeval peel. It was probably built by the Baxters in the late 15th cent. A Thomas Baxter is mentioned in 1381 and a John Baxter in 1431.
The tower which is three stories high, retains many of its original features including a vaulted ground floor and part of the stone newel staircase. The entrance was on the west side. On the left of the entrance is the stairway in the thickness of the north wall.
Externally the tower measures 24' 4" x 17' 8".
Richard Gobson (died 1678/9) was probably the builder of the Low Hall attached to the west side of Baxter's Tower. It has a south frontage to the street and a gabled projection at the N.W. angle. The gable on the north side of the tower is of later date. A sun-dial on the south front bears the date 1700 (Craster 1914; Hadcock 1939).
Building known as "Pele Tower". The name "Low Hall" is not known. The tower and 17th house now constitute one building, which is in excellent condition (F1 JLD 22.5.56). (PastScape)

Sources of information, references and further reading

National Heritage List for England Listed Building number(s) 1044784
Historic England (PastScape) Defra or Monument number(s) 18492.
County Historic Environment Record (or Sites and Monuments Record) number(s) N8995.

Websites (Gatehouse is not responsible for the content of external websites.)
- CastleUK
  Abaroth's World
Books
- Salter, Mike, 2002, Index and Amendments to Mike Salter's English Castles Books (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 4
  Dodds, John F., 1999, Bastions and Belligerents (Newcastle upon Tyne: Keepdate Publishing) p. 440
  Salter, Mike, 1997, The Castles and Tower Houses of Northumberland (Malvern: Folly Publications) p. 38
  Pettifer, A., 1995, English Castles, A guide by counties (Woodbridge: Boydell Press) p. 181 (mention)
  Pevsner, N., 1992 (revised by Grundy, John et al), Buildings of England: Northumberland (London, Penguin) p. 238-9
  King, D.J.C., 1983, Castellarium Anglicanum (London: Kraus) Vol. 2 p. 331
  Graham, Frank, 1976, The Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne: Frank Graham) p. 118-20
  Long, B., 1967, Castles of Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 59
  Hugill, R.,1939, Borderland Castles and Peles (1970 Reprint by Frank Graham) p. 77-9
  Craster, H.H.E. (ed), 1914, Northumberland County History (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) Vol. 10 p. 151-7 online copy
  Tomlinson, W. 1888, A Comprehensive Guide to Northumberland (Newcastle-upon-Tyne) p. 140
Periodical Articles
- Hadcock, R.N., 1939, 'A map of mediaeval Northumberland and Durham' Archaeologia Aeliana (ser4) Vol. 16 p. 148-218 esp 165
Other sources: Theses; 'grey' literature; in-house reports; unpublished works; etc.
- Northumberland County Council, 2008, 'Corbridge' Northumberland Extensive Urban Survey doi:10.5284/1000177 download copy
  Ryder, P.F., 1994-5, Towers and Bastles in Northumberland Part 4 Tynedale District Vol. ? p. 55-8

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Suggestions for finding online and/or hard copies of bibliographical sources can be seen at this link.
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*The listed building may not be the actual medieval building, but a building on the site of, or incorporating fragments of, the described site.

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