Scheduled MonumentsEnglandHepple Tower

Hepple Tower

England
List entry 1008884
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1008884
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.02 hectares
Grid reference
NT 98663 00654
Boundary

Scheduled area

© Mapbox · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Boundary data © Historic England (NHLE)

Overview

History & significance

Hepple Tower is a medieval pele tower located in Northumberland, dating to the late medieval period. The structure served as a defensive residence typical of the Border region, where such fortified towers provided protection against raids and military incursions during the turbulent Anglo-Scottish frontier conflicts. The tower retains evidence of its original construction and layout, characteristic of pele tower architecture with its compact, defensive design. As a surviving example of medieval military architecture in Northumberland, Hepple Tower contributes to the archaeological record of the region's fortified settlements during the medieval and early modern periods.

Hepple Tower is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1008884. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Hepple Tower?

Hepple Tower is a medieval pele tower located in Northumberland, dating to the late medieval period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1008884.

Who is responsible for protecting Hepple Tower?

Hepple Tower is a Scheduled Ancient Monument, legally protected by Historic England (NHLE) — the body responsible for designating and safeguarding heritage sites in England. The official designation reference is 1008884.

What other scheduled monuments are near Hepple Tower?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Cairn on Whitefield Shank, 1100m SSW of Hepple Whitefield Farm (2.5 km), Pattenshiel Knowe Iron Age/Romano-British farmstead (3.7 km), 18th century water mill at Grasslees (4.3 km).

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Everything a full report reveals about Hepple Tower

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Hepple Tower's history, each drawn from the record and mapped to the exact spot:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with every monument and battle plotted, and a plain-language history built only from what the record holds.
Monuments
The legally protected scheduled monuments around the location, each with its period, type and significance.
Battlefields
The battles and sieges fought on this ground, mapped and set on a timeline of the wider conflict.
Roman Britain
The Roman roads, forts and towns near here, and the Iron Age people who held the land before Rome arrived.
Domesday
The settlement's entry in the 1086 Domesday Book: who held it, what it was worth, and the people who worked the land.
Civil War
The Civil War fighting, garrisons and recorded militaria in this area, woven into the arc of 1642 to 1651.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back hundreds of millions of years.
LiDAR
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks hidden under fields and woodland, with likely features flagged.
Local Names
What the street and field names around here actually mean, and the history buried inside them.
Historical Maps
Ordnance Survey maps from the 1800s, layered over the location as it stands today.
Literature
The books, county histories, charters and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Legal
The protected sites nearby and the metal-detecting, access and treasure laws that apply to this ground.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Target Zones
For detectorists: the most promising ground to search nearby, ranked by confidence, with what to expect.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from prehistory to the present day.
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Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

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The ground beneath

The bedrock under Hepple Tower

Hepple Tower stands on Border Group, bedrock that formed in the Meramecian. The rock here is sandstone with subordinate argillaceous rocks and limestone.