Halton Castle is a pele tower

Peel tower

Peel towers are small fortified keeps or tower houses, built along the English and Scottish borders in the Scottish Marches and North of England, intended as watch towers where signal fires could be lit by the garrison to warn of approaching danger...

 and grade I listed building situated close to Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall

Hadrian's Wall was a defensive fortification in Roman Britain. Begun in AD 122, during the rule of emperor Hadrian, it was the first of two fortifications built across Great Britain, the second being the Antonine Wall, lesser known of the two because its physical remains are less evident today.The...

 to the north of the village of Corbridge

Corbridge

 Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...

 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...

, England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

.

The tower was first recorded in 1382 and it is still present today. It has four storeys and a basement with a stone vault. In the 15th century a manor house

Manor house

A manor house is a country house that historically formed the administrative centre of a manor, the lowest unit of territorial organisation in the feudal system in Europe. The term is applied to country houses that belonged to the gentry and other grand stately homes...

 was built onto the north side of the tower giving it a T shaped plan. In about 1696 much of this building was demolished by the then owner John Douglas and replaced with the present five bay residence.

In 1757 Anne Douglas the heiress of Halton married Sir Edward Blackett

Sir Edward Blackett, 4th Baronet

Sir Edward Blackett, 4th Baronet was a baronet and member of the British House of Commons for Northumberland....

 and the castle remains a residence of the Blackett family

Blackett Baronets

There have been two Baronetcies created for members of the Blackett family, both in the Baronetage of England. One creation is extant as of 2008...