Scheduled Monuments›England›Ludworth Tower

Ludworth Tower

England
List entry 1002329
Nation
England
The designation
Reference
List entry 1002329
Authority
Historic England (NHLE)
Status
Scheduled Monument
Scheduled area
0.38 hectares
Grid reference
NZ 35606 41305
Boundary

Scheduled area

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

Overview

History & significance

Ludworth Tower is a pele tower located in County Durham, dating to the medieval period. The structure represents a type of fortified domestic architecture characteristic of the Anglo-Scottish border region, where such towers served as defensive residences for minor gentry and their families. The tower survives as a substantial stone-built structure that reflects the practical defensive requirements of life in the Borderlands during the later medieval period, when raids and incursions made fortification necessary for protection of property and household.

Ludworth Tower is a scheduled monument protected by Historic England under reference 1002329. View the official record →

About this monument

Questions & answers

What is Ludworth Tower?

Ludworth Tower is a pele tower located in County Durham, dating to the medieval period. It is designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument by Historic England (NHLE) under reference 1002329.

Who is responsible for protecting Ludworth Tower?

Ludworth 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 1002329.

What other scheduled monuments are near Ludworth Tower?

Several scheduled monuments lie within 10 km, including Haswell Colliery engine house, 180m north west of Plough Farm (2 km), High Haswell Chapel 300m south east of Low Haswell (2.6 km), Old Thornley medieval settlement, open field system and hollow way, 110m north of Thornley Hall Farm (2.9 km).

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Ludworth Tower

This page is just one thread. A full Aubrey report pulls together 15 strands of Ludworth 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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Nearby

Other scheduled monuments within 10 km

Haswell Colliery engine house, 180m north west of Plough Farm
2 km
High Haswell Chapel 300m south east of Low Haswell
2.6 km
Old Thornley medieval settlement, open field system and hollow way, 110m north of Thornley Hall Farm
2.9 km
Enclosed hilltop settlement on Pig Hill, 600m south west of High Fallowfield
3.4 km
Prior's Hall, Hallgarth
3.6 km
Medieval settlement and open field system at Old Wingate
4.2 km
Sherburnhouse Bridge, 15m south-west of C20 roadbridge over the Sherburnhouse Burn
5 km
Coxhoe medieval settlement, 170m south west of East House Farm
6.1 km
The ground beneath

The bedrock under Ludworth Tower

Ludworth Tower stands on Zechstein Group, bedrock that formed in the Late Permian. The rock here is dolomitised limestone and dolomite.

The wider landscape

Around Ludworth Tower

Battle of Neville's Cross 1346Battle (1346) · ~6.1 milesBattle of Newburn Ford 1640Battle (1640) · ~18.6 miles
All Scheduled Monuments