Arnside Tower

Arnside Tower is a ruined tower house which probably dates to the 15th century, and occupies a site in a valley to the south of Arnside Knott, a prominent hill overlooking the Kent estuary. Thee tower has an L-shaped plan, with the entrance at ground floor level entering a small lobby leading to the kitchen, and a winding stair leading up to the hall above. A second vaulted room sits to the east of the kitchen, and an oven occupies the ground floor of the small wing – above this projection contained garderobes. The tower was originally five storeys tall. The western corner of the tower together with most of the south-east wall has fallen in, along with much of the interior, including the cross wall dividing the two basement rooms. The tower suffered a major (but accidental) fire in 1602, but it was repaired and reoccupied before eventually being partially dismantled in the late 17th century. Records suggest that parts at least remained in occupation up to the 1770s. The outer wall damage occurred in a great storm in 1884.

The lands of Arnside were held by the Bethom family, lords of Beetham. They were adherents of the Yorkist faction in the Wars of the Roses, and tradition states that Roger de Bethom was forfeited after the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. However, his daughter Agnes was married to a Robert Middleton, and in 1517 the holder of Arnside was a Thomas Middleton (this was the year he died). It was held by the Stanley family from 1574 apart from a brief hiatus in the 1650s, and it was the Stanleys who sold the property to Daniel Wilson of Dallam tower in 1815. It is still owned by the Dallam Tower Estate, as is the adjacent tenanted farm, and the tower may be viewed from the nearby public footpath. Although recommendations were published following a 2006 survey, they do not appear to have been carried out, and the tower is still decaying. The farm does operate a tearoom in summer months.

Arnside Tower Farm website

Arnside listing on the Lancashire Past website

Reives website entry for Arnside Tower