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Torwoodlee Tower

Torwoodlee Tower is a ruined early 17th century tower house standing on a terrace high above a bend in the Gala Water, built close to or on the site of an earlier castle.

Who built the earlier keep and when doesn’t seem to be known, but Torwoodlee is most associated with the Pringle family, who possessed it as far back as the 15th century and so have lived there for over 500 years.

In 1501 William Hoppringill, a son of James Pringle of Smailholm, took a tack (or lease) of land at Torwoodlee. William’s son George was included on the lease in 1509, and the following year William bought Torwoodlee.

William was killed at Flodden in 1513, and the old tower at Torwoodlee passed to George. But in 1568 Torwoodlee was sacked by a band of 300 Elliots and Armstrongs, and George was killed.

Torwoodlee passed to another William Hoppringill, and upon his death in 1577 it was inherited by another George Hoppringill, or Pringle. In 1601 this George built a new tower house, the ruins of which are what still stand today. It is approached by a long avenue of trees, terraced out of the hillside.

This new tower was rectangular on plan, and built approximately north to south across a terrace in the steep lower slopes of Mains Hill. The main block measures around 8.0m east to west by a probable 23.0m north to south, although the exact value of this latter measurement is unknown as the north end of the block has been destroyed.

The main entrance was in the east wall at ground level, through a doorway into a projecting circular stair tower, from which a straight straight stairway led up to a landing on the west wall of the first floor. Above the doorway, around which is a carved surround, is a niche which would’ve contained a carved armorial panel, although this has now been removed.

A stone carved with the date 1601 and the initials GP and MS (for George Pringle and presumably his wife) is built into the hallway of the nearby Torwoodlee House.

The ground floor consisted of a basement level divided into three vaulted chamber, and access to it was through a small doorway to the left of the main entrance. Te kitchen is thought to have been situated in the northern most chamber. All the vaults have now fallen, and the stones from them now lie piled within the castle walls.

In the south wall of the basement level is a gun loop, pointing out over the hillside below.

The first floor would have contained the principle rooms, such as the main hall, which seems to have been at the south end of the block as there are tall windows at this end.

On the second floor there would have been bedrooms, although this floor has now entirely gone, the walls standing to a maximum height of around 9.0m at the south end.

The external stair tower seems to stop at first floor level, above which it is corbelled out, with carved decorative details, to form a square caphouse. Below the small window in the caphouse is a gunloop.

The north end of the tower seems to have been built into the hillside, but the walls here have fallen and the stones removed. A wing apparently projected to the east from the main block, running along the hillside and containing further vaulted cellars, although this too has now gone entirely.

Running east from the site of this wing was a courtyard wall. The corresponding wall on the south side, which featured loopholes spaced at a distance of around 1.7m, has now gone, although the wall of a lower terrace still stands.

To the west of the castle was a steeply sloping walled orchard or garden, although this area is now densely planted with pine trees. In the west wall there is a built-up doorway which would once have given access to the garden. The west wall also features large windows which would originally have looked out over the gardens.

Torwoodlee Tower continued to be the home of the Pringle family until James Pringle of Bowland succeeded his uncle to become the 9th laird of Torwoodlee, and set about building a new house in 1783, further east along the hillside.

Presumably Torwoodlee Tower fell out of use soon after this, and was possibly used as a source of stone for the new house.

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Alternative names for Torwoodlee Tower

Castle of Torwoodlee; Torwartlie

Where is Torwoodlee Tower?

Torwoodlee Tower is in the parish of Caddonfoot and the county of Selkirkshire.

Grid reference: NT 46698 37748

Lat / long: 55.630364, -2.848125

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OS Map for Torwoodlee Tower

OS map 338
Galashiels, Selkirk & Melrose (St Boswell’s & Lauder)
OS Explorer map 338


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Directions to Torwoodlee Tower

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Weather at Torwoodlee Tower

15°C
max 15°C / min 12°C
18km/h NE
1027mb
68%
83%
04:02 20:13

Broken clouds
Weather observed at Clovenfords at 11:24

References (books)

The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland Volume 4
David MacGibbon
Edinburgh, 1892
The Castles of Scotland
Martin Coventry
Prestongrange, 2015
The Story of the Tweed
Herbert Maxwell
London, 1909

References (websites)

Canmore
Torwoodlee

Castles near Torwoodlee Tower

Blindlee Tower (site of)

0.6km away

Buckholm Tower

1.6km away

Whytbank Tower

2.5km away

Ladhope Tower

3.0km away

Old Gala House

3.1km away

Hunter's Hall (site of)

3.4km away

Windydoors Tower

4.1km away

Peel (site of)

4.5km away

Ashiestiel House

4.5km away
more castles....
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Ancient sites near Torwoodlee Tower

Torwoodlee broch and fort

0.7km away

Bow Castle broch

4.0km away

Eildon Hill North fort

10.1km away

Newstead (site of) souterrains

10.6km away

Earlston standing stone

13.1km away

Warrior's Rest standing stone and rock art

15.0km away

Glebe Stone standing stone

15.3km away

Brothers' Stones standing stone

15.3km away

Dabshead fort and standing stone

15.7km away
more ancient sites....
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Pictish stones near Torwoodlee Tower

Borthwick Mains Class I symbol stone

23.8km away

Abernethy No. 2 Class III symbol stone

41.2km away

Abernethy No. 4 Class III cross shaft

41.2km away

Princes Street Gardens Class I symbol stone

41.9km away

Court Cave Class I rock carving

60.4km away

Doo Cave Class I rock carving

60.5km away

Jonathan's Cave Class I rock carving

60.7km away

Sliding Cave Class I rock carving

60.7km away

Scoonie Class II cross slab

64.4km away
more Pictish stones....
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Pictish sites near Torwoodlee Tower

Whitlaw silver chain

10.6km away

Haddington silver chain

36.0km away

Traprain Law silver chain

38.9km away

Hoardweel silver chain

39.1km away

Borland silver chain

41.3km away

Todholes (possible) silver chain

43.5km away

Whitecleugh silver chain

67.6km away

Norrie's Law hoard

69.8km away

Dunnicaer fort

152.7km away
more Pictish sites....
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Accommodation near Torwoodlee Tower

The Clovenfords Country Hotel
hotelGalashiels
2.0km away
George & Abbotsford Hotel
hotel, barMelrose
8.8km away
Best Western Philipburn Country House Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barSelkirk
8.9km away
Melrose SYHA Hostel
hostelMelrose
9.1km away
Broadmeadows SYHA Hostel
hostelSelkirk
9.3km away
Black Bull Hotel, Lauder
hotelLauder
11.7km away
Lauderdale Apartment
self-catering apartmentLauder
12.1km away
Aikwood Tower
self-cateringSelkirk
12.6km away
Caddon View
hotelInnerleithen
13.3km away
Traquair House
bed and breakfastInnerleithen
13.8km away

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Cafés, restaurants & bars near Torwoodlee Tower

Baxters Selkirk
caféSelkirk
8.1km away
George & Abbotsford Hotel
hotel, barMelrose
8.8km away
Best Western Philipburn Country House Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barSelkirk
8.9km away
Selkirk Deli
caféSelkirk
9.2km away
Saffron
restaurantInnerleithen
13.6km away
No1 Peebles Road
caféInnerleithen
13.7km away
Macdonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Spa
hotel, bar, restaurantCardrona
17.2km away
Kailzie Gardens Restaurant
café, restaurantKailzie
18.5km away
County Inn
pubPeebles
21.6km away
Castle Venlaw Hotel
hotel, restaurant, barPeebles
21.6km away
more food.... / more drink....

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Dunbar harbour and castle
Published on the 20th of November 2011 at 11:34 am. Updated on the 23rd of January 2021 at 2:13 pm.

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Andy Sweet above Fast Castle

Stravaiging around Scotland is written, photographed and researched by Andy Sweet.
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