Lanton, near Coupland, North Northumberland:building with a bell tower?

[belfordian]

In the tiny settlement of Lanton off the A697 near Coupland and Milfield are some very fine 2storey cottages with a bell tower at one end. They look late Victorian but I may be wrong. They look rather grand for farmworkers' cottages. Why would they have a bell tower? It is of the type normally added to a school but I don,t think there was ever a school in such a small place. Can anyone help?

[davidft]

O think this is a picture of the cottages. You can see the "bell tower" on the right hand side although the angle is not very good. However if you play around with the streetview it gives a better view of it

https://www.onthemarket.com/details/2892090/

[JenB]

The cottages appear to have been built late 19th century.

They appear on this map of 1897 https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/392565/631218/12/100509

but not on this one of 1895 https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/392565/631218/12/101338

There is no indication on any of the maps that they are anything other than a row of cottages.

[stanmapstone]

The "1895" map is actually the 1855-64 initial survey, the map was published in 1866. The first revision  was carried out 1894-7, and the map published in 1897.

Stan

[davidft]

The "tower" on the cottage could be a reference to Lanton Towers, a monument several hundred years old

http://www.gatehouse-gazetteer.info/English%20sites/2539.html
https://www.old-maps.co.uk/#/Map/392420/631150/10/101337

or it could be a reference to a separate monument on nearby Lanton Hill to Alexander and John Davison

https://co-curate.ncl.ac.uk/lanton-northumberland/

[stanmapstone]

The "bell tower" is on the end of the row of cottages, it is not really a tower just a housing for a bell.

 See https://goo.gl/maps/w1eqyTnpCtA2

Stan

[davidft]

The "bell tower" is on the end of the row of cottages, it is not really a tower just a housing for a bell.

 See https://goo.gl/maps/w1eqyTnpCtA2

Stan

That's the same picture as in my reply #1 but from a better angle. If all else fails the OP could contact the estate agents in my first post and ask if they can explain the "bell tower" on the end of the cottage

[belfordian]

Thank you, davidft, stanmapstone and JenB for your comments. I am still trying to discover the reason for the bell "tower".... I wonder if it could be purely decorative? seems strange.
Val

[Potts501]

Hi, these were indeed farmworkers cottages. My great grandparents and grandparents were in number one and great aunt and uncle in no.2. I remember the bell but never heard it rung (in the 1970's). They are all now private dwellings