With those windows!

This looks just like a building site, complete with builder, and that’s probably because that is exactly what it is. A complete renovation job is being done on this old house, but what is of real interest is the yellow thing behind.
 
Yesterday Hazelina blipped a rather nice picture of Hutton Hall in Penrith and gave some of the history of this 18th century mansion house, that was at one time a masonic lodge and has now been turned into apartments. Well, I had to look this up didn’t I and, in doing so, discovered that there was a cottage and a pele tower attached to it, all of which Hazelina remembers from childhood. Interesting that the block of apartments is called Pele Court.
 
This is the pele tower, dating from the late 1300s. These fortified towers were built as places of refuge, at a time when this area was constantly under threat from raids by the Scots. They were usually attached to farmsteads, so to find one in the middle of a town is unusual. It is almost square, four storeys high and has the characteristic tiny windows. It is built of the familiar red sandstone, but has been covered in render and is now painted. Apparently this has also been turned into apartments . . . with those windows!!
 


A very hot and humid day, but we haven’t had the sun that most others have had and we even had some rain. Sad news about ‘Bake Off’, one of the few things I watch. But good for Sue and Mel.  Will Hollywood go with the ‘dough’?