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Cockburnspath Tower

Tower House (medieval)
Cockburnspath Tower
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What is recorded here

Cockburnspath Tower is a broken medieval tower house in the Scottish Borders, perched above a deep rocky ravine that would have blocked attackers unless a bridge crossed it. The visible ruin dates from the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century, but the Dunbar family are said to have built an earlier stone tower there in the fourteenth century as one of their border strongholds. Later the Homes, Sinclairs and Douglases all claimed or took it, turning the narrow place into a knot of feuds, guards and passing armies.
Scotland's National Record of the Historic Environment records Cockburnspath Tower as Tower House (medieval). 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.
Cockburnspath Tower is a medieval tower house built in the 16th century, likely by the Cockburn family, who were prominent in the region. It is remembered as a significant example of Scottish domestic architecture and as a symbol of the family's historical influence in the Borders area.

The historic-place record does not grant public access. Check current conditions and ownership before entering land or a building.

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Photo: Walter Baxter · CC BY-SA 2.0