
What is recorded here
Stapleton Tower is a surviving 16th-century tower house near Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, built when border lawlessness made ordinary life feel like temporary shelter. In 1514 Lord Dacre called it the only remaining building after an English attack destroyed Annan, and in 1626 Scottish government forces besieged it for six months during a local feud. A Victorian mansion and gardens later joined the tower, but the mansion was demolished in the late 20th century, leaving the old defensive core standing beside private land where children may have played, feasted, feared, or simply watched the road pass.
Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Stapleton Tower as Country House (19th Century), Garden (post Medieval), Tower House (16th Century). The official map says its point is accurate as follows: NGR given to the nearest 1m. The record does not by itself mean that the public may enter the place.
Stapleton Tower, a 16th-century tower house in Scotland, was likely built by a local landholding family, though specific builders remain unidentified. It is remembered as a historic structure reflecting the defensive and domestic architecture of the late medieval period in the Scottish borders.
The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.
Places near here
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Old GraitneyTower House (medieval) · 5.0 miOther information
Photo: M J Richardson · CC BY-SA 2.0