The incomplete Gothic Revival ruin of Twizell Castle

Twizell Castle stands on a bend of the River Till at Tillmouth Park, Northumberland, 10 miles (16 km) south-west of Berwick Upon Tweed. Below it, the medieval Twizell Bridge spans the river. The site is visible from a public footpath, and its gardens contain the earthwork remains of the deserted medieval village of Twizell. The massive ruin presents the remains of an 18th-century castle which was never completed.

A medieval tower house once stood on the site, held by Sir John Heron in 1415 before being destroyed by a Scottish army in 1496. James IV of Scotland returned to the site in 1513 on his way to besiege Norham Castle and held a council or parliament at "Twesil" or "Twesilhaugh." The estate was later sold to the Selby family, who repaired the buildings. By 1595, an inventory mentioned a new chamber, a gallery, and chambers in the tower, though only blocked windows and a chamfered doorway remain visible today.

In 1685, Sir Francis Blake purchased the estate. From about 1770, Sir Francis Blake (d. 1780) worked on the recreation of the castle as a Gothic Revival mansion designed by architect James Nesbit to be five levels tall. Despite forty years of work, the project was never completed. In 1882, much of the incomplete castle was demolished to provide stone for a new mansion at Tillmouth Park. The house remains today as a two-storey folly with circular towers on the angles and two wings on the north side, featuring stone and brick-vaulted basement rooms.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons