Ratcheugh Observatory - Geograph 4345266 - Russel Wills

Ratcheugh Observatory is a late 18th-century folly on a prominent crag between

Alnwick Alnwick ( ) is a market town in Northumberland, England, of which it is the traditional county town. The population at the 2011 Census was 8,116. The town is on the south bank of the River Aln, south of Berwick-upon-Tweed and the Scottish bor ...

and

Longhoughton Longhoughton is a small rural village in Northumberland, England. It lies near the coast, about northeast of Alnwick, in the similarly named parish of Longhoughton. The village lies under the spectacular whinstone outcrop, Ratcheugh Crag, nea ...

in north Northumberland, England. Commissioned by Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, the

castellate 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 ...

d Observatory incorporates a viewing tower with prospects of Alnwick and its castle, and of the North Sea coast at Boulmer.

Location

Ratcheugh Observatory is located on Ratcheugh Crag, a local whinstone high-point above a foreground of fields at or lower elevations, situated east-north-east of Alnwick and west-south-west of Longhoughton; inland from the coast at Boulmer, in north Northumberland.

Observatory

The Observatory, a Grade 1 listed building, is a screen-wall built at the crag edge, incorporated into which are a number of turrets or towers; and having towards its northern extent a square-plan viewing tower built on open hollow-chamfered arches. The tower has a single enclosed room, each wall having three large round-arched windows affording commanding views to the north-east, north-west, south-east and south-west. The structure is described by Historic England as a gazebo and eye-catcher in the Castellated Gothick style, and is constructed in rough-faced stone with

ashlar Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruv ...

dressings. The Observatory was designed by (or follows a design outline of) Robert Adam, and dates from 1754–1770. It provides very fine views of Alnwick Castle,

Hulne Park Hulne Park is the only one remaining of the three parks that once surrounded Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, providing wood and meat for the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland. The park is walled, and was landscaped by Capability Brown ...

, Hulne Priory and other local possessions of the Duke; a 360° panorama of the local area, farmland used for

fox hunting Fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, chase and, if caught, the killing of a fox, traditionally a red fox, by trained foxhounds or other scent hounds. A group of unarmed followers, led by a "master of foxhounds" (or "master of ho ...

and point-to-point horse racing; and distant views of

Dunstanburgh Dunstanburgh Castle is a 14th-century fortification on the coast of Northumberland in northern England, between the villages of Craster and Embleton. The castle was built by Earl Thomas of Lancaster between 1313 and 1322, taking advantage of t ...

and Warkworth Castles and the Farne Islands. It is one of a number of follies built on the skylines around Alnwick; others include the 1781

Brizlee Tower Brizlee Tower (sometimes Brislee Tower) is a Grade 1 listed folly set atop a hill in Hulne Park, the walled home park of the Duke of Northumberland in Alnwick, Northumberland. The tower was erected in 1781 for Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumber ...

, another creation of the Duke;

Jenny's Lantern Jenny's Lantern is an area of moorland in north Northumberland, England, taking its name from an 18th-century 'eye-catcher' folly sited towards the top of a small promontory hill above the River Aln. Situated on the southern slope of the Jenny's ...

on the Bolton estate, and Crawley Tower on the Shawdon estate, all dating from the late 18th century. The Observatory incorporates a small cottage, a later c.1850 addition.

Notes

References

{{coord, 55.42231, N, 1.64672, W, display=title, region:GB, format=dms Folly buildings in England Grade I listed buildings in Northumberland Observation towers in the United Kingdom Towers completed in the 18th century Towers in Northumberland Longhoughton