Marmion Tower, West Tanfield: The historic Yorkshire gatehouse still standing - even though its manor house isn't
Standing next to St Nicholas Church in West Tanfield, on a bank of the River Ure between Masham and Ripon, Marmion Tower has the structure of an old castle.
Indeed, it has been referred to as “Tanfield Castle” by historians. However, it was simply the grand gatehouse for a fortified manor house.
That building was established by an Anglo-Norman baron, John Marmion. His son, also John, played a leading part in the English army’s disastrous engagement with the troops of Robert the Bruce at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
He was given permission by Edward II to crenelate the house. Later on it passed to Elizabeth Parr, grandmother of Queen Katherine Parr, sixth and final wife of Henry VIII.
On a visit in the16th century, the poet John Leland “saw no notable building”, although he did remark on the “fair” gateway.
By the late 18th century what was left of the manor house had been destroyed, with some of the stone being used to build Snape Castle, near Bedale, and Kirklington Hall, by the A1(M).
The tower itself remained standing and, although at some point the roof has been removed, the battlements and a small turret remain.
Three storeys high and built from magnesium limestone, it is usually open to visitors. A flight of stairs leads to the first floor, which has an ornate oriel window, and into the turret.
On the ground floor is a vaulted porter’s lodge with fireplace, latrine and a small window known as a “squint”.
English Heritage now maintains what is a Grade I-listed building and scheduled monument.