Blencow Hall

Blencow Hall, medieval seat of the Blencow family is a fascinating house; detailed archaeological recording made possible by its refurbishment has allowed its building history to be considerably revised.

A courtyard house of the late 15th or early 16th century was embellished around a hundred years later with two towers, more for show than defence, and then remodelled again after serious damage now thought to result from fighting in the Civil War. Subsequently it declined to a farmhouse, its towers being abandoned to decay; they are now restored and re-integrated with the building, although the southern one retains its dramatic top-to-bottom rent, testimony to its 17th century vicissitudes.