{{Short description|Castle in Duddo, Northumberland, England}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox castle |name = Twizell Castle |location = [[Northumberland]], [[England]], UK |pushpin_map = United Kingdom Northumberland |pushpin_map_caption = Location in [[Northumberland]] |image= Twizel Castle - geograph.org.uk - 1202957.jpg |caption = Twizell Castle |gridref = {{gbmappingsmall|NT882433}} |coordinates = {{Coord|55.683|-2.188|display=inline,title}} }}
'''Twizell Castle''' (also spelt Twizel) is a [[Listed building|Grade II* listed building]] and a [[Scheduled Monument|Scheduled Ancient Monument]] which stands on a bend of the [[River Till, Northumberland|River Till]] at Tillmouth Park, [[Northumberland]], northern [[England]]. Below it, the medieval [[Twizell Bridge]] spans the river. It is located {{convert|10|mi|0}} south-west of [[Berwick-upon-Tweed|Berwick Upon Tweed]]. The site is visible from a public footpath, which passes the castle from the road. The gardens of the castle contain the earthwork remains of the [[deserted medieval village]] of Twizell, whilst the massive ruin presents the remains of an 18th-century castle which was never completed.
==The Castle==
[[File:TwizellCastle2009.jpg|thumb|left|upright|Twizell Castle ruins in 2009.]] A medieval [[tower house]] which once stood on the site was, in 1415, held by Sir John Heron. This was destroyed by a [[Scottish people|Scottish army]] in 1496 commanded by [[James IV of Scotland]] and [[Perkin Warbeck]]. James IV returned on 24 August 1513 on his way to besiege [[Norham Castle]], and held a council or parliament at "Twesil" or "Twesilhaugh."<ref>Tytler, Patrick Fraser, ''History of Scotland'', vol.5 (1841), p.57: ''Acts of the Parliaments of Scotland'', vol.2 (1814), p.278</ref>
The estate was sold by the Herons circa 1520 to a member of the [[Selby family]]. A survey in 1561 reported only the remnants of a tower house and a [[barmkin]]. [[John Selby (died 1595)|John Selby]] seems to have repaired the buildings, and an inventory was made of the furnishings on his death in 1595 mentioning a new chamber, a gallery, and chambers in the tower.<ref>[[William Greenwell]], [https://archive.org/details/publicationssur12unkngoog/page/n269 ''Wills and Inventories from the Registry at Durham'', vol. 2] (Surtees Society, Durham, 1860), pp. 256-8. The will of John Selby's father, John Selby of Twizell, only mentions Twizell mill.</ref> Of the medieval structure, blocked windows, a [[chamfer]]ed doorway and the original north-east angle [[Quoin (architecture)|quoins]] are all that remains visible now.
In 1685 [[Sir Francis Blake, 1st Baronet, of Twizell Castle|Sir Francis Blake]] (d. 1718) purchased the estate from the widow Selby for £1,944, plus an annuity of £100, and the Blake family lived on the estate until 1738 when they moved to nearby Tillmouth Hall.
From about 1770, [[Sir Francis Blake, 1st Baronet, of Twizell Castle|Sir Francis Blake]] (d. 1780) worked on the recreation of the castle as a [[Gothic Revival architecture|Gothic Revival]] mansion, designed by architect James Nesbit of [[Kelso, Scottish Borders|Kelso]] to be five levels tall. Despite some forty years of work, the project was never completed. When in 1882, the Blakes built a new mansion at Tillmouth Park much of the incomplete Twizell Castle was demolished and the stone used in the new construction or sold.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1001053?section=official-list-entry | title=TILLMOUTH PARK, Cornhill-on-Tweed - 1001053 | Historic England }}</ref> The house is now a two-storey [[folly]]. Rectangular in plan, with circular towers on the angles and two wings on the north side, the basement rooms in the main block are stone and brick-vaulted as a precaution against fire.
The property is in poor order and is officially listed as of 2008 on the English Heritage [[Heritage at Risk Register]].
==References== {{commons category}} {{reflist}} *{{NHLE|num=1042168 |desc=|accessdate=25 October 2019}} Photograph and architectural description of listed building *{{cite web|url=http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=238 |title=Twizel Castle |work=Structural Images of the North East |accessdate=2008-11-27 |publisher=[[University of Newcastle upon Tyne]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110515143019/http://sine.ncl.ac.uk/view_structure_information.asp?struct_id=238 |archivedate=2011-05-15 }} *{{cite web|url=http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N972 |title=Twizel Castle |work=Keys to the Past |accessdate=2008-11-27 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007091554/http://www.durham.gov.uk/durhamcc/K2P.nsf/K2PDetail?readform&PRN=N972 |archivedate=October 7, 2007 }} *{{cite web |url=http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/2517.html |title=Twizell Castle |work=The Gatehouse |accessdate=2008-11-27}}
{{Castles in North East England}}
[[Category:Castles in Northumberland]] [[Category:Grade II* listed buildings in Northumberland]] [[Category:Scheduled monuments in Northumberland]] [[Category:Structures on the Heritage at Risk register]] [[Category:Selby family]]