Stone House, Kielder Water

Description

NY 70078823. Stone House. Remains of a 16th century bastle house and outbuilding, re-occupied and rebuilt in ? mid 19th century, excavated in 1972. Situated on gentle south facing slopes, with low flat land bordering the River North Tyne to the south are the remains of a rectangular bastle measuring 12m east/west by 7.2m overall. The wall varies between 1.4m and 1.8m thickness and stands to a maximum height of 1.5m; the upper courses show signs of being rebuilt, with a probable original splayed entrance 1m wide in the east gable. The remains of a doorway and possible window in the long south wall, along with the internal walls appear to be later additions probably associated with later rebuilding. (Harbottle and Newman 1973).
Approximately 15m to the south east are the poorly defined turf covered remains of a rectangular stone building measuring 9.3m north-south by 4.9m now partially destroyed by recent forestry clearance. (Building 2 on plan). No trace of features indicated in Area 3 of plan; this area was covered with felled scrub. An area of rig and furrow ploughing is evident to the south of the bastle, bounded in the east by a turf covered stone wall 1m wide, 0.5m high and from the south east corner of which an unmetalled terraced way leads down to the Starsley Burn (F1 SA 30-MAR-1977). (Northumberland HER)

The remains of a 16th century bastle now lie submerged in Kielder Water reservoir. Before it was flooded in the 1980s the site was excavated and recorded in 1972 by the Society of Antiquaries of Newcastle. They found the bastle had been reused and rebuilt, probably in the 19th century. The bastle measured 12m by 7.2m and had walls of enormous thicknesses, varying between 1.4m and 1.8m thick. Around the bastle are areas of ridge and furrow field systems, stone walls and trackways. (Keys to the Past)