Newark Tower, Selkirkshire, United Kingdom

Newark Tower is a large, ruined tower house in the valley of the Yarrow Water three miles west of Selkirk in the Scottish Borders. It was granted to Archibald Douglas, Earl of Wigtown around 1423. It was incomplete at this time and work continued until about 1475. The surrounding barmkin was added around 1550, and the present battlements and two square cap-houses date from about 1600.

After the fall of the Black Douglases the Tower was held by the crown, and in 1473 it was given to Margaret of Denmark, wife of James III. The royal arms are visible on the west gable.

Newark was unsuccessfully besieged by an English army in 1547, but was burnt the following year. In 1645, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, 100 royalist followers of the Marquis of Montrose were shot in the barmkin of Newark after the Battle of Philiphaugh. The Tower is believed to be haunted by the souls of the 300 slaughtered women and children also murdered at the site after the battle.

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User Reviews

GARY DAWSON (6 months ago)
I visited recently Castle is fenced off due to unsafe Tower at least get it wind and watertight before it falls down and lost forever ?

simon hall (2 years ago)
You can't get inside, well kept nice location. Poor parking. Unless you are passing by don't make a special trip. We walked around the outside, read the board and took some pictures, total stay about 5 minutes

Graham Malcolm (2 years ago)
A castle with a unique bloody past from murder to executions and massacre of prisoners. Now there is no entry to the castle but you can easily walk around it and experience the beauty and history of the place

Ian Black (3 years ago)
Superb example of a borders tower with a grisly history - check Wikipedia for the facts. Not sure where to park so I dumped the car a few yards down the road. Not open and just a shell it oozes a sense of the past... Also red squirrels by the dozen.

Laura Allan (4 years ago)
Can’t gain access to castle but still nice to see when your finished here go back and park opposite the fields where the horses are and go past the fields down to the river absolutely stunning if you go into the bow hill estate you will have to pay but that is also worth it if you want to make a day of it

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