Marmion Tower

The fine 15th-century gatehouse of a vanished riverside manor house, with a beautiful oriel window. The monuments of the manor's Marmion family owners grace the adjacent church.

Marmion Tower is the entrance to, and the only significant remaining part of, a former manorial complex.

West Tanfield is situated on the banks of the River Ure, where the main route from Ripon once crossed the river. A stone bridge, constructed by 1725, replaced the original ferry. Located west of the bridge near the church of St Nicholas, Marmion Tower is a residential gatehouse. The quality of the accommodation in the upper two storeys – shown by the fine carving and detailing – makes the building distinctive.

The rooms in the gatehouse might also have served as the private apartments to the manorial block. The entry in Domesday Book records that the manor at West Tanfield was held in 1086 by Count Alan of Richmond Castle. The Marmion family owned the manor for much of the 13th and 14th centuries, but the gatehouse dates from the 15th century. It was probably built by William Fitz Hugh, who died in 1452.

After the death of his grandson’s wife, the manor passed to the Parr family. Later alterations, in the 16th century, were probably made by William Parr, who was Marquis of Northampton and brother to Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII. The manor was granted to William Cecil, Lord Burghley, in 1571. Following later changes of ownership, the tower was placed in guardianship in 1976.