Barmoor Castle is a privately owned 19th century country house built on an ancient site in Northumberland

Northumberland

Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...

. It is a Grade II* listed building. As at 2008 the decaying building is officially listed on the English Heritage

English Heritage

English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...

 Buildings at Risk Register.

Muschamp family

After the Norman Conquest the Manor of Barmoor was granted to the Muschamp family who built a tower house

Tower house

A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation.-History:Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountain or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strategic points with reduced forces...

 on the site. A licence to crenellate the house was granted by Edward III on 17 May 1341. A 1541 survey described the house as ' in extreme decay and almost ruinous for lack of reparations'. Some repairs and improvements were carried out in 1584 but the Muschamps experienced financial difficulties, and following the death of George Muschamp in 1649 the estate was sold to William Carr of Etal

Etal

Etal is a small village in the far north of the county of Northumberland, England which shares a parish with nearby Ford. It lies on a bridging point of the River Till ten miles south west of Berwick-Upon-Tweed, and can boast the substantial ruins of a medieval castle currently owned by English...

 to satisfy the demands of creditors.

Sitwell family

After 1702 the estate changed hands several times until in 1791 it was acquired by inheritance by Francis Hurt Sitwell

Sitwell Baronets

The Sitwell Baronetcy, of Renishaw in the County of Derby, is a title in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 3 October 1808 for Sitwell Sitwell, Member of Parliament for West Looe...

. The Sitwells engaged architect John Patterson

John Patterson (architect)

John Patterson was a Scottish architect who trained with Robert Adam whom he assisted with his work on Edinburgh University Old College.Patterson's own works include:*Monzie Castle 1785-1790*Barmoor Castle c. 1801*Pinkie House 1800...

 of Edinburgh and in 1801 built the present substantial castellated Gothic revival mansion on the site of and incorporating some existing stonework of the old house. Later improvements and extensions were carried out in the 1890s by Thomas Hodgkin

Thomas Hodgkin (historian)

Thomas Hodgkin , British historian, son of John Hodgkin , barrister and Quaker minister, and Elizabeth Howard ....

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Present day

The present owner occupiers acquired the house and 200 acre (0.809372 km²) in the 1980s from where they operate a caravan and holiday park.