Brizlee Tower
Encyclopedia
Brizlee Tower is a Grade 1 listed folly tower
set atop a hill in Hulne Park, the walled home park of the Duke of Northumberland
in Alnwick
, Northumberland
. The tower was erected in 1781 for Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
, and commands extensive views over North Northumberland and the Borders
.
set at the edge of the northern escarpment
of Brizlee Hill, overlooking Hulne Park
, the "home park" of Alnwick Castle
. The hill's relative elevation (about 177 metres above sea-level, in comparison with the valley floor's 44 metres) makes the tower's site a natural vantage point with all-encompassing views to the west, north and east – including the vale of Whittingham
, through which the River Aln
flows; the sites of numerous country seats
past and present, such as at Eslington, Bolton
, Callaly
, Shawdon, Broomepark, and Lemington; Hulne Priory
within the park walls; The Cheviot
, 20 miles distant and the Teviotdale hills and Flodden a further 20 miles away; the Northumberland coast
including the Farne Islands
and Coquet Island
, and the castles at Bamburgh
, Dunstanburgh
and Warkworth
. Southerly views are blocked by Alnwick Moor, which rises higher than the tower.
The tower has six stages, the lowest of which has an encircling verandah
, and the topmost surrounded by a projecting viewing platform or balcony
, and surmounted by a cast-iron fire basket. Brizlee Hill, prior to the tower's erection, is reputed to have been the site of a fire-beacon used to warn of the approach of enemies. The tower is circular in plan, and has four slight rectangular projecting buttress
es. An interior newel
staircase is lit through windows.
The tower is in an elaborate Gothic
style, the design being variously attributed to Robert Adam
or his brother John
(who were also employed on other works for the Duke including a remodelling of the interiors of Northumberland House
and Syon House
in London) and to the Duke himself.
The tower was commissioned in about 1777 to commemorate Lady Elizabeth Seymour
, who died in 1776, by her husband Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
, after the third creation of that title by virtue of the marriage. It was completed in about 1781. It functions as a viewing platform for the Duke's park, landscaped during the Hugh Percy period by "Capability" Brown.
Above the balcony, under the Duke's crest, an inscription notes: , which is translated: "Look around! I have measured out all these things; they are my orders, it is my planning; many of these trees have even been planted by my hand".
The tower was given a Grade 1 listing in December 1969, but by the end of the 20th century had been placed on the Buildings at Risk Register owing to extensive water damage and corroded ironwork, and was closed to the public. It was extensively renovated in the first decade of the 21st century and reopened.
Folly
In architecture, a folly is a building constructed primarily for decoration, but either suggesting by its appearance some other purpose, or merely so extravagant that it transcends the normal range of garden ornaments or other class of building to which it belongs...
set atop a hill in Hulne Park, the walled home park of the Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland
The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the peerage of Great Britain that has been created several times. Since the third creation in 1766, the title has belonged to the House of Percy , which held the title of Earl of Northumberland from 1377....
in Alnwick
Alnwick
Alnwick is a small market town in north Northumberland, England. The town's population was just over 8000 at the time of the 2001 census and Alnwick's district population was 31,029....
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
. The tower was erected in 1781 for Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC was an Engish peer, landowner and art patron.He was born Hugh Smithson, the son of Langdale Smithson and grandson of Sir Hugh Smithson, 3rd Baronet from whom he inherited the baronetcy in 1733...
, and commands extensive views over North Northumberland and the Borders
Scottish Borders
The Scottish Borders is one of 32 local government council areas of Scotland. It is bordered by Dumfries and Galloway in the west, South Lanarkshire and West Lothian in the north west, City of Edinburgh, East Lothian, Midlothian to the north; and the non-metropolitan counties of Northumberland...
.
The tower
Brizlee Tower is a 26-metre-high elaborately ornamental tower in dressed stoneAshlar
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...
set at the edge of the northern escarpment
Escarpment
An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that occurs from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.-Description and variants:...
of Brizlee Hill, overlooking Hulne Park
Hulne Park
Hulne Park is the only one remaining of the three parks that once surrounded Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, providing wood and meat for the table of the Percy family, the Dukes of Northumberland.It is the site of Hulne Priory....
, the "home park" of Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle
Alnwick Castle is a castle and stately home in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. It is the residence of the Duke of Northumberland, built following the Norman conquest, and renovated and remodelled a number of times. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:Alnwick...
. The hill's relative elevation (about 177 metres above sea-level, in comparison with the valley floor's 44 metres) makes the tower's site a natural vantage point with all-encompassing views to the west, north and east – including the vale of Whittingham
Whittingham
-Places:* Whittingham, Lancashire, England* Whittingham, Northumberland, England* Whittingham, New Jersey, a US unincorporated area* Whittingham, New South Wales, in Australia-Things:*Charles Whittingham Memorial Handicap, an American Thoroughbred horse race...
, through which the River Aln
River Aln
The River Aln runs through the county of Northumberland in England, discharging into the North Sea on the east coast of England.The river gives its name to the town of Alnwick and to the village of Alnmouth, and its source, Alnham in the Cheviot Hills...
flows; the sites of numerous country seats
English country house
The English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a London house. This allowed to them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these people, the term distinguished between town and country...
past and present, such as at Eslington, Bolton
Bolton, Northumberland
Bolton is a small village in Northumberland, England. It is situated on the north side of the River Aln, about two miles east by north from Whittingham, and miles west from Alnwick. It has a chapel and a small number of residential properties....
, Callaly
Callaly
Callaly is a village in Northumberland, England. It is about to the west of Alnwick. The main A697 road is away.- Governance :Callaly is in the parliamentary constituency of Berwick-upon-Tweed.- Landmarks :...
, Shawdon, Broomepark, and Lemington; Hulne Priory
Hulne Priory
Hulne Priory is a monastery founded in the 13th century by the Carmelites, or "White Friars" which was one of the Orders of Mendicants, bound by their rule to live in extreme poverty. It is said that the Northumberland site, quite close to Alnwick, was chosen for some slight resemblance to Mount...
within the park walls; The Cheviot
The Cheviot
The Cheviot is the highest summit in the Cheviot Hills in the far north of England, only 2 km from the Scottish border. It is the last major peak on the Pennine Way, if travelling from south to north, before the descent into Kirk Yetholm....
, 20 miles distant and the Teviotdale hills and Flodden a further 20 miles away; the Northumberland coast
Northumberland Coast
The Northumberland Coast is a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covering 39 miles of coastline from Berwick-Upon-Tweed to the River Coquet estuary in the north-east of England...
including the Farne Islands
Farne Islands
The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. There are between 15 and 20 or more islands depending on the state of the tide. They are scattered about 2.5–7.5 km distant from the mainland, divided into two groups, the Inner Group and the Outer Group...
and Coquet Island
Coquet Island, England
Coquet Island is a small island of about , situated off Amble on the Northumberland coast, northeast England.The Island is owned by the Duke of Northumberland...
, and the castles at Bamburgh
Bamburgh Castle
Bamburgh Castle is an imposing castle located on the coast at Bamburgh in Northumberland, England. It is a Grade I listed building.-History:...
, Dunstanburgh
Dunstanburgh Castle
Dunstanburgh Castle lies on a spectacular headland on the coast of Northumberland in northern England, between the villages of Craster and Embleton....
and Warkworth
Warkworth Castle
Warkworth Castle is a ruined medieval building in the town of the same name in the English county of Northumberland. The town and castle occupy a loop of the River Coquet, less than a mile from England's north-east coast...
. Southerly views are blocked by Alnwick Moor, which rises higher than the tower.
The tower has six stages, the lowest of which has an encircling verandah
Verandah
A veranda or verandah is a roofed opened gallery or porch. It is also described as an open pillared gallery, generally roofed, built around a central structure...
, and the topmost surrounded by a projecting viewing platform or balcony
Balcony
Balcony , a platform projecting from the wall of a building, supported by columns or console brackets, and enclosed with a balustrade.-Types:The traditional Maltese balcony is a wooden closed balcony projecting from a...
, and surmounted by a cast-iron fire basket. Brizlee Hill, prior to the tower's erection, is reputed to have been the site of a fire-beacon used to warn of the approach of enemies. The tower is circular in plan, and has four slight rectangular projecting buttress
Buttress
A buttress is an architectural structure built against or projecting from a wall which serves to support or reinforce the wall...
es. An interior newel
Newel
A newel, also called a central pole, is an upright post that supports the handrail of a stair banister. In stairs having straight flights it is the principal post at the foot of the staircase, but it can also be used for the intermediate posts on landings and at the top of a staircase...
staircase is lit through windows.
The tower is in an elaborate Gothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
style, the design being variously attributed to Robert Adam
Robert Adam
Robert Adam was a Scottish neoclassical architect, interior designer and furniture designer. He was the son of William Adam , Scotland's foremost architect of the time, and trained under him...
or his brother John
John Adam (architect)
John Adam was a Scottish architect. Born in Linktown of Abbotshall, now part of Kirkcaldy, Fife, he was the eldest son of architect and entrepreneur William Adam. His younger brothers Robert and James Adam also became architects.The Adam family moved to Edinburgh in 1728, as William Adam's career...
(who were also employed on other works for the Duke including a remodelling of the interiors of Northumberland House
Northumberland House
Northumberland House was a large Jacobean mansion in London, which was so called because for most of its history it was the London residence of the Percy family, who were the Earls and later Dukes of Northumberland, and one of England's richest and most prominent aristocratic dynasties for many...
and Syon House
Syon House
Syon House, with its 200-acre park, is situated in west London, England. It belongs to the Duke of Northumberland and is now his family's London residence...
in London) and to the Duke himself.
The tower was commissioned in about 1777 to commemorate Lady Elizabeth Seymour
Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland
Elizabeth Percy, née Seymour, Duchess of Northumberland, heiress to the earldom of Northumberland and 2nd Baroness Percy was a British peeress....
, who died in 1776, by her husband Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland
Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG, PC was an Engish peer, landowner and art patron.He was born Hugh Smithson, the son of Langdale Smithson and grandson of Sir Hugh Smithson, 3rd Baronet from whom he inherited the baronetcy in 1733...
, after the third creation of that title by virtue of the marriage. It was completed in about 1781. It functions as a viewing platform for the Duke's park, landscaped during the Hugh Percy period by "Capability" Brown.
Above the balcony, under the Duke's crest, an inscription notes: , which is translated: "Look around! I have measured out all these things; they are my orders, it is my planning; many of these trees have even been planted by my hand".
The tower was given a Grade 1 listing in December 1969, but by the end of the 20th century had been placed on the Buildings at Risk Register owing to extensive water damage and corroded ironwork, and was closed to the public. It was extensively renovated in the first decade of the 21st century and reopened.