A HISTORY OF LANCASHIRE 



range of buildings erected at right angles to it on the 

 north-east. The plan thus formed, which is still that 

 of the house, follows the lines of two sides of a court 

 inclosed by buildings on the north and west. These 

 later buildings were much altered in the first half of 

 the igth century, when they assumed their present 

 appearance. The house therefore belongs to three 

 main periods : the tower proper to the Middle Ages, 

 the original north wing and additions to the reign of 

 Queen Elizabeth, the alteration and refacing of the 

 latter to the early years of Queen Victoria. The 

 whole forms a very picturesque group of buildings, the 

 stonework of the older part offering a strong but 

 agreeable contrast to the irregular wood and plaster 

 work set against it. 



There is no trace of the building ever having been 

 of larger extent than at present, and the original 

 structure no doubt consisted simply of a single peel 

 tower with wooden buildings adjoining. The masonry 

 of the tower is in a very good state of preservation, 

 and at the north-east corner are the remains of a pro- 

 jecting vice perfect still at the top, but cut away in 

 recent times in the lower story. In the north-west 

 corner is still the shaft of a garderobe projecting from 

 the main structure, and there is a garderobe cut in the 

 thickness of the wall, probably at a later date. The 

 original tower would be about 35 ft. high, and con- 

 sisted of three low stories, evidences of which still 

 remain in the old blocked window-openings which 

 can be seen from the outside two on the ground 

 floor, one on the upper floor, and five on the original 

 top floor. These windows were of two lights on the 

 two lower stories, and of one light above. There are also 

 the remains of a window almost entirely destroyed on 

 the north side, near what is now the pantry door, 

 and further remains of another window above it, now 

 internal, proving that at this time there were no 

 buildings adjoining the tower proper on the north 

 side. 



These buildings were added in the i6th century, 

 but whether they predated the rebuilding which 

 Camden states took place in 1596 is not certain. 

 Some of the older parts are stated to have been at 

 that date of lath and plaster, showing that some 

 additions must have been made to the stone tower 

 probably at the beginning of the i6th century, and it 

 is possible that the whole north wing may have been 

 erected at that time. What the lath and plaster 

 portions of the building prior to 1596 were like is 

 not known, but they probably indicate some kind of 

 addition to the original structure before the more 

 extensive additions which more than doubled the area 

 of the plan. The north or kitchen wing is set at an 

 irregular angle with the tower, being swung slightly 

 to the south ; it consisted originally of a two-storied 

 stone building with heavily timbered pitched roof, 

 with three detached chimneys in the centre and two 

 corbelled from the north wall, and so continued till 

 the alteration in the beginning of the last century. 



The room immediately north of the tower proper, 

 which forms the junction between the original struc- 

 ture and the later wing, was no doubt built at the 

 same time, though it may have been of larger extent, 

 the north wall having been rebuilt in later times. 

 Whether there were any buildings in the position of 

 the present entrance and staircase on the east side of 

 the tower before I 596, or, if so, what was the nature 

 of them, cannot be stated, though it is probable 

 that some kind of more convenient entrance would 

 by this time have been found necessary. The 

 present entrance and entrance-hall would seem to 

 belong, however, to the rebuilding of 1596, though 

 externally altered since. In that year vast changes 

 were made in the building with a view of bringing its 

 comfort up to the more luxurious standard of the 

 times, and the tower proper then assumed practically 

 its present appearance. The old floors were taken 

 out, the stories raised so that two occupied nearly the 

 whole space of the former three, and a new story was 

 added, raising the height to 45 ft. to the top of the 

 battlements. The old narrow windows were done 

 away with or blocked up, and the present large three, 

 four, and five-light mullioned and transomed windows 

 with labels took their place, entirely altering the ap- 

 pearance of the old part of the building. The later 

 story is of ashlar masonry, and is separated from the 

 old rubble walling below by a moulded string-course, 

 and the battlements have a continuous moulding 

 round merlons and embrasures, with ornamental 

 finials at the angles. 



The building, as it was left by the Orrells in 1628, 

 was substantially that which remained till the great 

 changes which took place under James Kay after 1835, 

 though it is probable that some alterations would be 

 made by Humphrey Chetham when he purchased the 

 property at the former date. 34 The present oak 

 staircase, with flat pierced balusters, and square newels 

 with balls, is most likely his work or that of his suc- 

 cessor, replacing or modifying one erected not very 

 long before, but there is no record of the Chethams 

 having undertaken any building or alteration. 



Some restoration, however, appears to have been 

 done in the interior in the i8th century, but not such 

 as materially affected the structure, and the arrange- 

 ment of the top floor of the tower may belong 

 to this period, together with the roof, which does not 

 appear to be the original 16th-century one, the stone 

 corbels which carried the beams being now in most 

 instances unoccupied. From about 1809 to 1835 

 the building was occupied as a farm-house, as well as 

 being used as a corn-mill for a considerable time, 35 

 and during this period it suffered a good deal (the 

 lower part of the stone staircase no doubt being 

 then cut away). It was in this condition when 

 James Kay purchased the property and determined to 

 restore it. 



Illustrations of Turton Tower in the early years of 

 the I gth century, 36 before the alterations took place, 



84 An inventory taken in November 

 1642 enumerates the principal rooms : 

 ' the further highmost chamber, the nearer 

 highmost chamber, the green chamber, 

 seven smaller bedrooms including an 

 " oven chamber," the dining-room, the 

 hall, the closet, the buttery, the deyhouse, 

 the pantry and a room over it, the kitchen, 

 the larder, the brewhouse, the workhouse, 

 the garner-house, the cart-house, the kiln, 



the stable chamber ' ; see Land, and Ches. 

 Antiq. Sac. iii, 198. In another inventory 

 taken the last day of October 1653, the 

 following places are mentioned : ' the hall, 

 the buttery, the dineinge chamber, the 

 greene chamber, the chamber over the 

 porch, the parlour, the lower kitchine, the 

 brewhouse, the brewhouse chamber, the 

 kitchine, the chamber over the deyry- 

 house, the servants' chamber over the 



276 



kitchine, the deyry-house, the millne ' ; 

 Life of Humphrey Chetham (Chet. Soc. new 

 ser.), 274. 



85 Scholes and Pimblett, op. cit. 



86 W. G. Philips's View, c. 1822-4; 

 James's Views, 1825 ; Fisher's Views. 

 These views all show the north wing 

 built in stone and of two stories with 

 detached chimney - shafts as described 

 above. 



