Turton Tower is a manor house in Chapeltown

Chapeltown, Lancashire

Chapeltown is a village of the civil parish of North Turton, in the Blackburn with Darwen unitary authority, in the north west of England. It is situated on the B6391 and lies on southern slopes of the West Pennine Moors. The village was once the historic centre of the old Turton Urban District.The...

 in North Turton

North Turton

North Turton is a civil parish of the Unitary authority of Blackburn with Darwen in Lancashire, England. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001 the civil parish has a population of 3,736.-Landscape:...

, Borough of Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen

Blackburn with Darwen is a unitary authority area in Lancashire, North West England. It consists of Blackburn, the small town of Darwen to the south of it, and the surrounding countryside.-Formation:...

, Lancashire

Lancashire

Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...

, England. It is a scheduled ancient monument and Grade I Listed building.

It was built in the late Middle Ages

Middle Ages

The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...

 as a two storey stone pele tower which was altered and enlarged mainly in late 16th century. It is built on high ground 600 feet above sea level about four miles north of Bolton. William Camden

William Camden

William Camden was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and officer of arms. He wrote the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and the first detailed historical account of the reign of Elizabeth I of England.- Early years :Camden was born in London...

 described it as being built "amongst precipices and wastes." A north wing and additions were made during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I

Elizabeth I of England

Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

 and alterations were made during the early years of Queen Victoria.

Structure

The oldest part of the building, which was probably built in the early 15th century, is the stone pele tower which measures 45 feet in length from north to south and is 28 feet in width. It is about 35 feet in height with walls four feet thick. In the north-west corner of the tower the shaft of a garderobe

Garderobe

The term garderobe describes a place where clothes and other items are stored, and also a medieval toilet. In European public places, a garderobe denotes the cloakroom, wardrobe, alcove or an armoire. In Danish, Dutch, German and Spanish garderobe can mean a cloakroom. In Latvian it means checkroom...

 projects from the main structure. The tower had three low storeys as evidenced by the blocked window openings. Its walls are rough with large corner quoin

Quoin (architecture)

Quoins are the cornerstones of brick or stone walls. Quoins may be either structural or decorative. Architects and builders use quoins to give the impression of strength and firmness to the outline of a building...

s.

During the early 16th century two cruck

Cruck

A cruck or crook frame is a curved timber, one of a pair, which supports the roof of a building, used particularly in England. This type of timber framing consists of long, generally bent, timber beams that lean inwards and form the ridge of the roof. These posts are then generally secured by a...

 framed buildings were added to the tower and later an extension at the front of the house created the entrance with its imposing front door. Inside the building this Tudor architecture

Tudor architecture

The Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...

 can be seen including part of the cruck structure along with exposed and restored sections of the wattle and daub

Wattle and daub

Wattle and daub is a composite building material used for making walls, in which a woven lattice of wooden strips called wattle is daubed with a sticky material usually made of some combination of wet soil, clay, sand, animal dung and straw...

 and lath and plaster

Lath and plaster

Lath and plaster is a building process used mainly for interior walls in Canada and the United States until the late 1950s. After the 1950s, drywall began to replace the lath and plaster process in the United States. In the United Kingdom, lath and plaster was used for some interior partition...

 wall panelling. The entrance and entrance hall belong to the rebuilding of 1596 when vast changes were made and the tower raised to its present height. The new upper storey was built in ashlar

Ashlar

Ashlar is prepared stone work of any type of stone. Masonry using such stones laid in parallel courses is known as ashlar masonry, whereas masonry using irregularly shaped stones is known as rubble masonry. Ashlar blocks are rectangular cuboid blocks that are masonry sculpted to have square edges...

 stone separated from the old rubble walling by a moulded string course. The old floors were removed and the walls raised to 45 feet to the top of the battlement

Battlement

A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet , in which portions have been cut out at intervals to allow the discharge of arrows or other missiles. These cut-out portions form crenels...

s. The narrow windows were blocked up, and replaced by large three, four, and five light mullion

Mullion

A mullion is a vertical structural element which divides adjacent window units. The primary purpose of the mullion is as a structural support to an arch or lintel above the window opening. Its secondary purpose may be as a rigid support to the glazing of the window...

ed and transomed

Transom (architectural)

In architecture, a transom is the term given to a transverse beam or bar in a frame, or to the crosspiece separating a door or the like from a window or fanlight above it. Transom is also the customary U.S. word used for a transom light, the window over this crosspiece...

 windows, transforming the appearance of the old part of the building. During the 17th century the cruck buildings were clad in stone and the structure remained unchanged until the 19th century.

After 1835 the Kay's were responsible for Victorian renovations including the Dutch gable façade.

Occupants

Turton Tower home to the lords of the Manor of Turton and around 1200 was part of the barony of Manchester by which time part of the manor was in the hands of the de Lathom family. It was inherited in 1420 by the Orrells who rebuilt the pele tower. In 1628 they sold Turton Tower to Humphrey Chetham

Humphrey Chetham

Sir Humphrey Chetham was an English merchant, responsible for the creation of Chetham's Hospital and Chetham's Library, the oldest public library in the English-speaking world.- Life :...

, the Manchester merchant responsible for the creation of Chetham's Library

Chetham's Library

Chetham's Library in Manchester, England is the oldest free public reference library in the United Kingdom. Chetham's Hospital, which contains both the library and Chetham's School of Music, was established in 1653 under the will of Humphrey Chetham , for the education of "the sons of honest,...

 and Chetham's School of Music

Chetham's School of Music

Chetham's School of Music , familiarly known as "Chets", is a specialist independent co-educational music school, situated in Manchester city centre, in North West England. It was established in 1969, incorporating Chetham's Hospital School, founded as a charity school by Humphrey Chetham in 1653...

. It passed to his descendants, the Bland, Green and Frere families who leased it to a succession of tenant farmers.

The tower was sold in a state of disrepair in 1835 to James Kay who restored it. He sold the tower to Elizabeth and Anne Appleton who leased it to William Rigg, a calico manufacturer, whose daughter, Ellen, wrote "Victorian Children at Turton Tower". In 1903 the tower was bought by Sir Lees Knowles, 1st Baronet

Sir Lees Knowles, 1st Baronet

Sir Lees Knowles, 1st Baronet, was a British barrister, military historian and Conservative politician.He was the son of John Knowles and Elizabeth Lees of Green Bank, Oldham, Lancashire whose family owned Andrew Knowles and Sons, collieries in the Irwell Valley. He was educated at Rugby School...

, MP for Salford West, for £3,875. After his death in 1929, his widow, Lady Nina Knowles, presented it to Turton Urban District Council in 1930, and it became the council chamber.

After local government re-organisation in 1974, Turton was split and the tower became part of the new Borough of Blackburn, and was administered by Lancashire County Museums Service. Following changes to the Lancashire County Museum Service, the tower was taken over by Blackburn with Darwen Council.