Barden Tower

Barden Tower is a fortified house, now ruinous, dating to the mid-16th century and restored in 1658-9. Constructed of ashlar and rubblestone, it has a rectangular plan with an L-shaped addition to the south-east corner. The main house is three stories and four bays wide. A small, chamfered four-centered arched doorway is located to the left of bay two, with a tablet above bearing an inscription commemorating Lady Anne Clifford, Countess Dowager of Pembroke, Dorset and Montgomery, Baroness Clifford Westmorland and Vescie, who oversaw the restoration. A lancet window is situated in the left-hand bay, while bays two and four feature chamfered openings for large three-light windows with hoodmoulds and relieving arches. The bay between these is flanked by the remains of walls and contains a large, double-chamfered, four-centered arched opening. The first floor has a chamfered two-light mullioned window with four-centered arched heads to the lights and a hoodmould in the left-hand bay. The other first floor windows in bays two and four are similarly large three-light windows. A plain four-centered arched opening is found in bay three. The second floor openings are largely ruinous, with the exception of a single-light opening in bay three. The left return has an external stack to the right of a chamfered four-centered arched door, with a squared chamfered opening to its left and a chamfered opening to its right. Above these are two chamfered lancets, followed by a two-light chamfered mullioned window with four-centered arched lights and a hoodmould, and a similar three-light window above. The right return is similar. The rear of the building is ruinous with small rectangular openings. The L-shaped addition is three stories high and has several bays. The left-hand bay is set back, with a chamfered doorway and chamfered two-light windows above, one over the other. The right-hand bay is blind. It has a band and a parapet, with a large external stack on the rear. The tower house was built for Lord Clifford, known as "the shepherd Lord," and is of interest as a small fortification with domestic amenities. It is also designated a scheduled ancient monument (Yorkshire, West Riding) No. 123.