Sauchie Tower

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Sauchie Tower

Sauchie Tower , also Devon Tower , is a tower house near the Scottish town of Sauchie in the Council Area of Clackmannanshire . In 1960 the building was included in the Scottish Monuments List in the highest category A. Furthermore, the structure has been protected as a Scheduled Monument since 1933 .

history

Builders of Sauchie Tower is from Greenock originating Sir James Schaw that with de Mary Annand married the heiress of part of the land. The Shaws were at that time the most influential families in Scotland and reigned until the enthronement of James IV. , Among others, Stirling Castle . By 1440 James Shaw had the Tower House built south of Devon . A predecessor structure presumably already existed at this location, but it has not yet been proven. Sauchie Tower was part of a larger fortification with defensive walls and outbuildings, of which, with the exception of the tower, only a few fragments have survived today. Parts of this complex may have been used in the early 17th century to build the nearby Old Sauchie House , which was likely to replace Sauchie Tower, since residential towers were considered outdated at the time.

The lands then fell to another line of the Shaws, who built their own mansion called Shawpark near the residential tower around 1700 . Old Sauchie House was likely leased until it was demolished around 1930. Shawpark was sold to the Earl of Mansfield in 1826 and finally demolished in 1961. Of the three adjacent family residences of the Shaws, only the oldest, the Sauchie Tower, remained. The results of an archaeological study suggest that Sauchie Tower was at least partially used until the mid-18th century. A fire ravaged the building in the 1750s. Later the ground floor was probably used as a storage room. In the 18th and 19th centuries, sheds were built in the area that could have been cattle shelters. In contrast to the comparable Clackmannan Tower , Sauchie Tower has been preserved almost unchanged.

description

The Tower House is north of the village of Sauchie, not far from the Devon River. With a floor area of ​​around 11 × 10 m, it has an almost square floor plan. It consists of a four-story tower on which a hexagonal house with a tent roof sits. The 1.6–2 m, on the west side even 3 m thick masonry is unusually solid and consists of ashlar stones from reddish sandstone . The tower ends with a crenellated reinforcement with a wide battlement behind it and crowd watch towers . The remains of chambers can be seen on the first three floors, but the intermediate floors have collapsed, possibly as a result of the fire. The tower is entered at ground level through an entrance on the west side. The upper floors were accessible via a spiral staircase in the northwest corner. There is a guard room opposite. The tower was once surrounded by a wall with a moat. A second defensive wall may once have existed.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ Scheduled Monument - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  3. ↑ a b c Entry on Sauchie Tower  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
  4. ^ A b c Information from the Council of Clackmannanshire

Web links

Commons : Sauchie Tower  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 56 ° 8 ′ 34.7 "  N , 3 ° 46 ′ 31.9"  W.