Black Middens Bastle House lies about northwest of
Bellingham,
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 ...
.
It is a two-storey fortified stone farmhouse from the 16th century.
In times of trouble from
border reivers
Border reivers were Cattle raiding, raiders along the Anglo-Scottish border from the late 13th century to the beginning of the 17th century. They included both Scotland, Scottish and England, English people, and they raided the entire border ...
, which were common on the
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
-
Scottish border, farmers could hide behind its thick walls. Livestock would be kept downstairs and the farmers' families upstairs.
The original door was blocked over and three additional doors and an external staircase were eventually added, and the roof lost. Nearby on the property is an 18th-century stone cottage.
The house, cottage, and grounds are owned and administered by
English Heritage
English Heritage (officially the English Heritage Trust) is a charity that manages over 400 historic monuments, buildings and places. These include prehistoric sites, medieval castles, Roman forts and country houses.
The charity states that i ...
.
References
External links
Black Middens Bastle House- official site
English Heritage sites in Northumberland
Bastle houses
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