Black Middens Bastle House NE43 7DD
Entry: Free for everyone
Open: seasonal - check website

Dogs: on leads
Reviews: 0

About:
A bastle house is a type of fortified, or defensible, farmhouse peculiar to the Border country between England and Scotland.
Most examples were built from the mid-16th to the mid-17th centuries, in response to cross-border raids and national boundary disputes. They are generally two-storey buildings, with living accommodation on the first floor and shelter for cattle and sheep on the ground floor. They were homes and refuges for rich freeholders, lairds and heads of Border clans.
Many bastles were occupied until the 19th century, long after Border disturbances had ended. It is likely that Black Middens and the adjacent buildings were used as farmsteads into the 20th century.

Facilities:
A small car park 180 metres from the site

Dog Access:
Dogs are welcome but must be on leads at all times as there are livestock grazing nearby.

Accessbility:
Uneven grassland from the car park to the site

Contact:
Website: www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/black-middens-bastle-house 
Tel: 0370 3331181