High Carry House, Birtley. Photo by Peter Ryder.

[NY 8656 7919] High Carry House. (1)

Carry House is an old farmhouse, one of the smaller, but still massive, border peles, or bastle houses. (2)

The roofless remains of a defended house. See photo AO/56/335/7. (3)

No change. (4)

NY 865 791 Remains of bastle. (See Type-site NY 88 SE 14). (5)

Solitary standing bastle, 11m x 7.2m, with side walls 1.2m thick. Byre entrance in long wall. First floor beamed ceiling and first floor door located in long wall. (6)

The former farm of High Carry House stands above an abrupt cliff on the east side of the valley of the North Tyne. The farmhouse, now a ruin, is a remodelled bastle with walls 1.2m thick of roughly coursed large rubble with some galleting, with large roughly shaped quoins. There has been a later outshut on the north, and a small outbuilding to the west, which have largely disappeared. Adjoining the east end is a 19th century barn, still roofed. The building was a roofless shell in 1970, it has since deteriorated further, with the collapse of the upper part of the south wall.
The lower doorway is set slightly west of centre in the south wall; it has old jambs and a 19th century head; an old relieving arch above has now fallen. The only other original feature apparent at basement level, is a splayed loop in the centre of the east wall, the internal face of which has been cut back.
The upper doorway, square headed and with a chamfered surround, was set above and slightly west of the lower, but it has now fallen. Close to the west end of the walls part of an original first floor window, with a chamfered surround, are still visible. Authority (5) refer to a first floor fireplace at the west end which may have been original, with a massive stone lintel carried on corbels. This has now collapsed. At the east end of the building is a stone wall cupboard near the south end of the wall, and a pair of sockets indicating the former existence of a fire hood.
The positioning of both doorways in the long wall, and one or two features (such as the apparent provision of fireplaces at both ends of the first floor) mark this out as a slightly superior bastle and one of some interest.
The ruins are now in poor condition and rapidly deteriorating; the south west corner is now leaning badly. As the published plan and elevation are unsatisfactory, omitting several original features, proper recording is desirable. (7)

This site appears to have undergone some collapse since the publication of Shielings and Bastles since the blocked original first floor openings on the south side have now been lost. The lintel of the ground floor doorway below this section is cracked through and it looks like this may collapse. (8)

Listed by Dodds. (6)