Newcastle town wall, Pink Tower

Newcastle town wall, Pink Tower

HER Number
1526
District
Newcastle
Site Name
Newcastle town wall, Pink Tower
Place
Newcastle
Map Sheet
NZ26SW
Class
Defence
Site Type: Broad
Town Defences
Site Type: Specific
Town Wall
General Period
MEDIEVAL
Specific Period
Medieval 1066 to 1540
Form of Evidence
Demolished Building
Description
Until its removal in 1852, and because it had never been occupied by a company, it was, so G B Richardson tells us, 'the most complete example of the single-chambered towers extant', though it 'had been slightly but unnecessarily encroached upon for the formation of Clayton Street…'. Surviving illustrations show that it possessed all the features typical of the semi-circular towers, including the stepped corbels for the external bretasche. Mackenzie reported that the ground floor was 'used for the convenience of the adjoining inhabitants'. Holmes erroneously declared that, at the time of demolition, it had an upper storey, but he had confused it with Gunner Tower. Apparently it was let in 1770 to Thomas Blackett, a Newcastle merchant, for use as a brewhouse. It stood at the junction of Pink Lane with Clayton Street West and resembled Durham Tower. Dated C13th.
Easting
424479
Northing
563973
Grid Reference
NZ424479563973
Sources
<< HER 1526 >> J Brand, 1789, History of Newcastle, I, 10;
E Mackenzie, 1827, View of Newcastle, 109;
T M Richardson, 1880, Memorials of Old Newcastle-upon-Tyne, pl. xxxvii;
S Holmes, 1896, The Town Walls of Newcastle upon Tyne, Archaeologia Aeliana, 2, XVIII, 13;
C H H Blair, 1937, The Walls of Newcastle...illustrated...by George Bouchier Richardson, Archaeologia Aeliana, 4, XIV, 126 and pls. xiv, xv.1;
M A Richardson, 1846, Local Historian's Table Book, Historical Division, V, 340;
G B Richardson, 19th century, The Walls of Newcastle, 123 -Newcastle University Library Unpublished MS;
National Record Office lment Books, 1770, 544.13, p. 282 Tyne and Wear Archive Service