Craig Castle

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Craig Castle west gate

Craig Castle is a tower house near the Scottish town of Rhynie in the Council Area of Aberdeenshire . In 1971 the structure was included in the Scottish monument lists in the highest monument category A. The gardens and the sundial are separately protected as Category B monuments.

history

While the literature usually indicates the third quarter of the 16th century as the year of construction, a more recent publication mentions the possible specific year of construction 1548. In 1726 the east wing and the gateway were built. The interior has also been redesigned. The central component dates from 1832. The Scottish architect Archibald Simpson was responsible for its design . It was restored after a fire in 1942. The west wing, built in 1908, is relatively simple in design.

description

Craig Castle is isolated about two miles southwest of Rhynie. The longer leg of the L-shaped Tower House has a footprint of 17 m × 13 m. The facades of the three-story building, which are provided with several loopholes , are plastered with Harl . Along the eastern flank, the facade closes with a cantilevered parapet. Since this typical element of a tower house cannot be found on the other facades, it is assumed that a surrounding parapet was originally planned, but that this was not implemented in the middle of the construction phase. A corner tour protrudes from the southeastern edge . The vault inside the defense tower is designed as a ribbed vault.

A rusticated archway connects the Tower House with the east wing. It was built in 1726 and bears the family coat of arms. The two-story east wing has a high hipped roof . The single-storey middle component between the east and west wings is designed in the Jacobean style.

Gardens

The gardens extend east of the Tower House. They were probably created during the 18th century. Quarry stone surrounds the elongated gardens. There is a sundial on the east side of the gardens. It was created in 1821 by the stonemason John Montgomery . The sundial is designed as a baluster . An iron plate with a dial made by Peter Hill of Edinburgh rests on the baluster .

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  4. ↑ Entry on Craig Castle  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)

Web links

Coordinates: 57 ° 18 '39.3 "  N , 2 ° 52' 49.1"  W.