The tower is located equidistant between Bolton Bridge on the A59 road to the south, and the village of Burnsall to the north (4 miles (6.4 km) each way).

[3] A lodge of sorts had been located in the Forest of Barden since early Plantagenet times, but it was rebuilt in stone c.1485–1490 by Henry Clifford, who was also known as the Lord Shepherd.

The tower had been "de-roofed" during the Civil War;[11] the roof was believed to have been made of thatch (a request from the 15th century states a claim for "soddes for the towre toppe [sic]").

[14] After Lady Anne's death in 1676, the estates and Barden Tower were taken over by the Earls of Cork and fell into disrepair in the 18th century.

[15] During the Jacobite rising of 1745, a band of militia were garrisoned at the tower to defend the area against the Scots army, should they so be needed.

[16] The second roof was made out of lead, and it was de-roofed again c. 1800, but the buildings were still the focal point for those who lived around it, which had become easier since the opening of Barden Bridge in 1659.