All about the watchtower
Preston Tower is a unique medieval fortification near the Anglo-scottish border which has connections to the Battle of Flodden
Located close to Bamburgh Castle in Northumberland, Preston Tower is a fine example of a ‘pele’ tower.
Built during 1392-99, this small fortified keep was constructed at a time when border warfare was endemic between England and Scotland. It was one of 78 pele towers built in the county and was designed primarily as a defensive structure.
Preston Tower’s owners included Sir Guiscard Harbottle, the constable of the larger Prudhoe Castle. He was reputedly killed at the Battle of Flodden in 1513 by King James IV of Scotland, who was himself later slain on the battlefield. Following the Union of the Crowns in 1603, half of the tower was pulled down and the stone used for local farm buildings.
An architectural historian once described Preston Tower as “among the most spectacular pieces of medieval masonry in England”. Today it is privately owned, although it is open to the general public. The first floor is restored to how it might have looked in
1400 while the second floor is dedicated to the history of Flodden and border warfare. The second floor also houses the mechanism for a Victorian clock that is similar in its design to Big Ben.