Hetton Hall, Chatton. Photo by Peter Ryder.

[NU 04053342] Tower [NR]. (1)

The remains of a pele which probably dates from the time of Elizabeth. (2)

Now modernised and incorporated into the farmhouse at Hettonhall. See photograph. (3)

Hetton Hall. II*.
House. 15th century tower-house with 18th and 19th century additions. Tower house at centre with wings left, right and rear. Tower, three storeys, semi-circular spiral stair projection from first floor up formerly with a turret above it. The parapet has gone and the roof rebuilt possibly in the 16th century. Inside the tower is intact; walls c.6ft thick. Tunnel vaulted ground floor remains in part. The tower was extended to the left in the 18th or early 19th century, to the right in the 19th century and to the rear in the mid 19th century (4)

The County History considers that Hetton Hall Tower 'seems to have been amongst the latest built on the border, probably in Elizabeth's reign' - it is not mentioned in any of the earlier Border surveys. A report of 1627, compiled by 'old Mr Burton' for Sir Robert Carr states 'the cheife house is a Tower of stone, three stories high'.
The late medieval tower measures 10.5m by 8.2m externally, with walls 1.3m-1.5m thick. It forms the west part of the present house, its long axis running roughly east-west. The tower, of three storeys and an attic, is adjoined by a two storey range of uncertain date on the east, an 18th century stair wing on the north and two parallel late 19th century wings to the north east; on the west is a two storey range of 18th century outbuildings.
The tower is constructed of large rubble with patches of smaller roughly coursed stone in between the irregular blocks. The lower 2.5m of the north west angle quoin is of very large and irregular blocks which may have been reddened by fire; above this the quoins are smaller and more neatly cut. The south face and east end are rendered over.
Externally, on the south face of the tower a stair turret, segmental in plan, is corbelled out of the wall at first floor level to the west of centre. The moulded stone corbelling at the base is exposed, but a chamfered string course at second floor level is rendered over. Immediately below eaves level the turret is stepped out to a square plan. The south windows are all large 18th century openings with sashes.
The lower part of the west wall of the tower is rendered over and externally hidden by the outbuilding range. A little below eaves level the face of the gable is carried forward on a line of rounded corbels supporting a moulded string. Above this, near the south end of the wall, is a small rectangular window with a moulded surround, lighting the attic or cap-house.
The north wall of the tower has 18th century sash windows to first and second floors with, to the east of the latter, a small blocked rectangular window with a moulded surround and a rough relieving arch above. At the foot of the wall, just short of the west end, a patch of old brick marks the site of a blocked basement loop.
The section of the east end of the tower exposed above the roof of the adjacent wing is rendered and shows no features of interest.
The two storey stair wing looks from its stonework and sash windows to be of 18th century date, but at the north end, below the stair window and east of centre, is a small blocked window with a chamfered surround that seems 17th century work or earlier. This may possibly be a re-sited basement loop from the tower.
The east wing is rendered externally; all its windows are of 18th or 19th century date and no older features are apparent.
Internally, the basement of the tower has had a segmental barrel vault, which only survives in a small L-plan section at the west end. It has been cut away over the main ground floor room in the tower. The original entrance has been at the west end of the south wall, opening directly into a circular stair in the south west corner. This can now only be entered through an 18th century (?) doorway in the west wall (opening into what is now a garage). The stair has been removed but the blocked opening of the entrance doorway is still apparent internally. There may be a blocked opening on the east side of the stair well, but this wall is heavily plastered. An opening from the well into the remaining section of the vaulted basement looks to have been crudely cut through the vault and may be 18th century work as well.
The main ground floor room shows no ancient features except for its thick walls; there is a cupboard in the wall thickness at the west end of its north wall, which might conceivably mark the base of a mural stair leading up to the first floor. This conjecture is somewhat strengthened by the presence of another recess in the wall further east at first floor level (now an airing cupboard) which has a small window, now internal, opening north.
The main stair well terminates at first floor level (where its cavity is utilised for a passage into the first floor of the outbuilding wing). A second stair commences here (its treads replaced in timber) set in the corbelled out turret.
The attic or cap-house (not seen) is reported to contain two 'Tudor' fireplaces.
The east wing contains a very thick cross wall, only separated from the east wall of the tower by a passage. Some years ago this was found to contain a very large arched fireplace, facing east; this has been covered over again. The other walls of the range are not especially thick. Slight earthworks in the lawn suggest that the range may have continued further east at one stage.
The tower is thought to be relatively late and is described as a three storey stone tower in 1627. The architectural features of the tower would tally with a date in the late 16th or early 17th centuries as would the ground plan. The discrepancy in form between the lower and upper quoins at the north west corner could point either to the tower having been rebuilt upon an earlier base, or to old material being re-used here.
The rather unusual entry form has affinities with that at Coupland Castle and 'Queen Mary's House' at Jedburgh. In both of these the principal stair (set in a separate turret) only rises to first
floor level, but the smaller upper stair is corbelled out.
At wall-head level the Hetton Hall tower probably had a parapet walk, perhaps reached from a small gabled cap to the stair turret (which seems to have been cut down to its present form).
The tower would seem to have been remodelled in the 18th century, when the stair wing was added to replace the old stair at the south west corner. The east wing is of uncertain date, it is difficult to place the large fireplace seen here in the early 18th century. It is just possible that the wing represents the remains of a medieval house on to which the tower was built in the late 16th century.
There appears to be no published account of the tower, and the building does not seem to have been planned or measured in detail. Such a survey might well assist in the interpretation of the structure. If the render were ever removed from the south elevation, a number of original features (including the entrance door) would be revealed. (5)

Listed by Cathcart King and Dodds. (6)

It is a Grade II* listed building protected by law.