This entry sits within the Decorative and Applied Arts Encyclopedia, a master reference hub indexing design history, materials, movements, and practitioners.
A pele tower (also spelled peel tower) is a small fortified tower house found mainly in the border counties of northern England and southern Scotland. Built as a form of domestic defence in a region long troubled by raiding and conflict, these compact structures are often little more than a stone keep with thick walls, minimal openings and basic living quarters. Pele towers were a characteristic feature of the medieval border landscape, but largely ceased to be built after the sixteenth century.
