Gilnockie Tower
Gilnockie Tower , also Hollows Tower , Holehouse Tower or Armstrong's Tower , is a tower house near the Scottish town of Canonbie in the Council Area Dumfries and Galloway . In 1971 the structure was included in the Scottish List of Monuments in Category B. The upgrade to the highest monument category A took place in 1988.
history
In the early 16th century, Clan Armstrong, mainly settled in Roxburghshire , first appeared in this region. Johnnie Armstrong , the leader of a gang of Border Reivers , also known as Gilnockie , had the defensive tower built in the middle of the same century and set up his base there. In the 20th century, the vacant Gilnockie Tower was partially derelict. Restoration began in the late 1970s. The Tower House is now privately owned and serves as a residential building.
description
The Tower House is about 2.5 km northwest of Canonbie on the right bank of the Esk . The elongated quarry stone building has a base area of 10.2 m × 7.7 m. Various small windows and slit windows are arranged asymmetrically along the facade. A battlement with ribbon ornamentation protrudes from it. The perched building closes with a slate-covered gable roof with stepped gables and a chimney with cornices on the north side.
The ornamented entrance is on the east side. Originally an outer wooden door and an inner iron grille were probably built in. The ground floor room has a stone vault with a ceiling height of 3.2 m. On the south-west edge a spiral staircase leads to the various floors. Each floor has a single room. On the north side of the first floor there is an open fireplace with pearl ornamentation . Another fireplace can be found on the second floor.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
- ↑ a b c Entry on Gilnockie Tower in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
Web links
- Entry on Gilnockie Tower in Canmore, Historic Environment Scotland database
Coordinates: 55 ° 5 ′ 51.9 ″ N , 2 ° 58 ′ 10.6 ″ W.