Fordyce Castle
| Fordyce Castle | ||
|---|---|---|
 Fordyce Castle |
||
| Creation time : | 1592/1700 | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg (Tower House) | |
| Conservation status: | Well | |
| Standing position : | Scottish nobility | |
| Construction: | Quarry stone, partially plastered | |
| Place: | Fordyce | |
| Geographical location | 57 ° 39 '39.2 " N , 2 ° 44' 50.6" W | |
| Height: | 63 m ASL | |
|
||
Fordyce Castle is a castle in the village of Fordyce , about 3 miles southwest of Portsoy in the Scottish county of Aberdeenshire . The oldest part of the complex with a T-shaped floor plan dates from 1592.
history
Thomas Menzies , a former Provost of Aberdeen , had the castle built as a Tower House with an L-shaped floor plan. In 1700 a wing was added to the current T-shaped floor plan. The north wing served as the community's school from 1716 to 1789. After many years of neglect, the Tower House has now been restored. It was also rebuilt inside.
architecture
The main building is a tower house with an L-shaped floor plan. In 1700 the west wing was added to the north gable wall. It has two full floors and an attic.
The original house has three floors and a spiral staircase in a separate tower. This is located in the inner corner of the Tower House and starts on the 1st floor. A frame from the roof of the south wing forms its upper end . On the top floor of the building there are corner turrets with conical roofs. The consoles of the stair tower are adorned with various variations of corded arches that end in leaves .
The entrance is located at the foot of the stair tower in the inner corner of the building. The ground floor has vaulted ceilings . The stairs in the main building only lead to the first floor, the other floors can be reached via the stair tower in the south wing. Another entrance on the main facade is flanked by slit-shaped windows and leads to the ground floor.
There are four different types of loopholes at Fordyce Castle that provide wide angles of fire. On the main facade there is a large window on the first floor under a supporting arch that illuminates the knight's hall . A similar window in the south facade was bricked up. On the 2nd floor of the main facade there is another larger window, while the other windows are very small and randomly shaped. Thomas Menzies of Durn's monogram is carved into the western corner turret.
The annex, added in 1700, has three entrances; the main entrance is on the 1st floor and can be reached via an external staircase.
The roofing is made of slate from Banffshire .
Historic Scotland has listed Fordyce Castle as a Category A Historic Building.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f Maurice Lindsay: The Castles of Scotland . Constable, 1986. ISBN 0-09-473430-5 . P. 249.
- ^ Charles McKean: Banff & Buchan . Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland. 1990. Retrieved July 24, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h Fordyce Castle . In: British Listed Buildings . Retrieved July 24, 2017.
