Longthorpe Tower

Heritage listing

Details The tower house is located within the village of Longthorpe on the outskirts of Peterborough, in a loop formed by the meandering course of the River Nene, within sight of the cathedral which lies about 3km to the east. The monument includes a medieval tower (a Grade I Listed Building) built around AD 1300, containing one of the most complete and elaborate schemes of domestic medieval wall paintings in England. The tower is attached to the north west corner of an earlier medieval hall (also a Grade I Listed Building). A west wing was attached to the hall in the 17th century, and an eastern wing was added earlier this century, abutting the south wall of the tower. The hall and its wings are not included in the scheduling. The three storey tower is constructed in rubble with limestone dressings. It measures approximately 8.5m square with walls c.1.8m thick, supported by diagonal buttresses at either end of the north wall. The ground floor room (which is thought to have served as a store) has a vaulted ceiling and small tapering alcoves with slit windows on the east and west sides. There is no direct access between this and the first floor; the basement room is only accessible through a passage in the south wall, now entered through the eastern extension to the hall. The first storey room was originally entered via a passage in the south west corner of the tower, perhaps on a level with a gallery in the hall. This room, termed `The Great Chamber' is also vaulted and contains the mural decorations which indicate its use as the lord's private apartment. The west window (a tall single light with a trefoil head) is housed in a narrow, partly splayed recess within a wide arched bay. This is the only original window remaining at this level. A similar arched bay is indicat

From the Historic England List Entry under OGL v3.