Fenham Tower was originally a monastic grange, which was a subsidiary of the Benedictine priory of Lindisfarne. In 1339, its large stone manor house was built or possibly a defensible pele tower was added, along with a precinct wall and an encasing moat or ditch in 1385. Described as a 'tower in good repair' in 1560, the greater part of the pele was still standing in 1782 but only the foundations were visible in 1852. The site is now a series of earthwork banks and ditches, with a possible dovecote, buildings, a hollow way, tofts and a mill race. 3 miles east is Lindisfarne Castle and 4 miles north-west is Haggerston Castle.