Shortflatt Tower

Shortflatt Tower stands on open farmland near Belsay in Northumberland. It is a pele tower built in the late 15th or early 16th century, with walls over six feet thick and a steep stone-slate roof. A licence to crenellate was granted in 1305, but English Heritage dates the present structure no earlier than the late 15th century. Earlier timber buildings may have been destroyed during Scottish raids in 1296. The tower has three storeys and battlements, while a two-storey manor house and two parallel wings were added later. The tower was designed to defend a family home during the reiver raids that lasted until 1603. Robert de Reymes held the property when the licence was issued and the Reymes family owned it until 1604. After the raids ended, William Selby, knighted in 1613, built the central manor house block. The estate passed to the Dent family in 1750 and remained with them, latterly as Hedley-Dent, until 2017. Edward Dent bred Fullerton, the greyhound that won the Waterloo Cup four times. Visitors find the three-storey pele tower with its thick walls and battlements. To the east is the 17th-century manor house with sash windows and a large ridge stack. Two parallel wings, built between the 17th and 20th centuries, extend from the manor house. The whole complex has Welsh slate roofs and is set in open countryside. Today it serves as a commercial venue for weddings and corporate events.