Bellister Castle is a

National Trust The National Trust, formally the National Trust for Places of Historic Interest or Natural Beauty, is a charity and membership organisation for heritage conservation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there is a separate and ...

owned

castellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

19th-century mansion house attached to the ruinous remains of a 14th-century

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

, near

Haltwhistle Haltwhistle is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, east of Brampton. It had a population of 3,811 at the 2011 Census. Stone-built houses are a feature of Haltwhistle. It is one of two settlements in Great Britain which c ...

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is a

Scheduled Ancient Monument In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a nationally important archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorised change. The various pieces of legislation that legally protect heritage assets from damage and d ...

and a

Grade I listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...

History

The property stands on a mound which may have been the motte of an early

motte and bailey A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or Bailey (castle), bailey, surrounded by a protective Rampart (fortification ...

castle. A moated

hall house The hall house is a type of vernacular house traditional in many parts of England, Wales, Ireland and lowland Scotland, as well as northern Europe, during the Middle Ages, centring on a hall. Usually timber-framed, some high status examples wer ...

existed on the site in the 13th century and a substantial tower was added to the western end in the 14th century. A survey of 1541 records a

occupied by Blenkinsop (of the family of nearby Blenkinsop Castle) in a 'measurable good' state of repair. The Blenkinsop family sold their estates including Bellister in 1697 and the castle was thereafter held by several different owners. In about 1699 the property was enlarged into a three-storey castellated house. A substantial rebuild by architect John Dobson in 1826 created an imposing castellated east front and further alterations took place in 1890 and in 1905 following serious fire damage in 1901. The older parts of the property were allowed to fall into decay and remain ruinous.

References

Structures of the North East
* ''A History of Northumberland'' (1840) John Hodgson Pt 2 Vol 3 pp 344–6 {{Authority control Grade I listed buildings in Northumberland Country houses in Northumberland Castles in Northumberland Scheduled monuments in Northumberland Ruins in Northumberland

History

See also

References