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The History

Scargill Castle was the medieval seat of the Scargill and later Tunstall families,. It was probably first built during the 13th century when Warrin de Scargill supervised the construction of Bowes Castle for Henry II during a time of increased cross-border warfare with Scotland, but the present day building is a Tudor replacement, probably built as a dowager house.

The Castle is more accurately described as a fortified manor house and originally consisted of a number of buildings arranged around a courtyard all within a defensive curtain wall; only fragmentary remains of these structures now survive. Entrance to the courtyard was through the gate house which also acted as the principal defensive stronghold of the manor. It is this gatehouse which is now known as Scargill Castle.

The Building

Scargill Castle is a three storey building with one room on each floor. A stone turret is located on the north side of the tower inside which an atmospheric stone newel stair gives access to the first and second floors. All rooms are empty for flexibility. Short sections of the original curtain wall run north and south from the Castle and are ruinous with a Tudor fireplace set into the wall.

The ground floor room is partially paved and has oak timbers to form the ceiling. Huge oak doors with massive iron hinges form the main entrance. The walls are unplastered.

The second floor has oak timber floors and ceiling, a small casement window at each end, and a central fireplace. The walls are plastered.

The top floor has oak timber floors, currently an exposed pine timber roof and small casement windows to each end. The walls are plastered but the gables are exposed stonework.

Practicalities

There is no electricity or water, but there is room for a generator and some parking. There is a 19th century barn for storage. Additional parking for rig may be available at extra cost from the nearby estate. The castle is a Scheduled Ancient Monument. On the plus side this means it is nationally important. However it also means that there are some restrictions regarding invasive fixings to walls. The nearest hotel is The Morritt Arms, an 18th century coaching inn at Greta Bridge, but there is plenty of additional accommodation in the area.

The owners of the Castle since July 1999, Niall and Caroline Hardie-Hammond live locally and are both archaeologists. The purchase of the Castle was undertaken both as a positive move to ensure the building’s survival and as a romantic gesture for their wedding. All profits from hiring the castle are used to carry out further conservation work to protect this special place.

Location

Scargill Castle lies some 4 miles due south of Barnard Castle in County Durham on the south bank of the River Greta. The postcode is DL12 9TA and the NGR is NZ 053 107. It is easily accessed from the A66 and is 20 minutes away from the A1 and M6. The nearest airport is Teesside, about 40 minutes drive away.

Guide Rate: POA. Long periods of hire or special requirements by negotiation.

Please contact David Harper's office for bookings and enquiries.