Description

NY 76 SE
17/50

HENSHAW
TOW HOUSE
(East side)
Tower House


II*

Bastle, now house. Late C16 with late C18-early C19 rear outshut. Large
roughly-squared stones; roof has graduated stone tiles on front and purple
slates on rear; stone chimney stacks. Original entries, now blocked, on left
gable end and first-floor rear. 2 storeys, 2 bays. Massive boulder plinth
on front and returns. Huge roughly-squared quoins. Late C19 openings on
front: replaced door in flush surround with alternating jambs at right; replaced
sashes. Other small blocked window openings in front and returns are visible
from inside only. Steeply-pitched roof with overhanging eaves. Large square-
plan end stacks with top ledges and water tables; left end stack has re-set
head corbel above ledge. Left return: roll-moulded, square-headed doorway
with alternating jambs and massive lintel; chimney flue on stone relieving
arch inserted behind doorway; blocked loop towards rear and small blocked
opening above. Added rear outshut has late C20 fenestration; steeply-pitched
pent roof interrupted at left by horizontal dormer window.

Interior: c.l.5-metre thick walls; wide stone chimney flues on both gable
ends; several small blocked window openings with internal splays; ground-floor
room has adzed ceiling beams and a spiral stone stair to right of front door
(stair probably in situ and possibly a unique feature in a bastle-house); 2
first-floor rooms with ceiling beams of heavy scantling - room at right has
blocked doorway on rear; roof has heavy A-frame truss on a cambered tie beam;
blocked loops in attic flanking both chimney flues. Single-storey shed on
right return is not of special interest.

A well-preserved bastle with a possibly unique spiral stone stair.

Listing NGR: NY7674164332

External Links

• Historic England Listing
• Wikidata Q17546691

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

Recommended Books

• 
  Hertfordshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  The Shredded Chef: 120 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy
• 
  Warwickshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Cambridgeshire (Pevsner Architectural Guides) (Pevsner Architectural Guides: Buildings of England)
• 
  Old House Eco Handbook: A Practical Guide to Retrofitting for Energy-Efficiency & Sustainability
• 
  [(Cumberland and Westmorland)] [By (author) Nikolaus Pevsner] published on (January, 1967)