Stapleton Tower

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Stapleton Tower

Stapleton Tower is a tower house near the Scottish city ​​of Annan in the Council Area Dumfries and Galloway . In 1971 the building was included in the Scottish monument lists, initially in category B. The upgrade to the highest monument category A took place in 1987.

history

It was the Irvine clan who built the defense tower in the 16th century. Three centuries later a mansion was added, into which the Tower House was integrated. This required redesign. In the aftermath of World War II , the mansion was demolished, but Stapleton Tower remained. Stapleton Tower is now only preserved as a ruin. In 1997 the structure was placed on the register of endangered listed structures in Scotland. Its condition was classified as a ruin in 2014, but with a moderate risk of deterioration.

description

Stapleton Tower is isolated in a hilly landscape around four kilometers northeast of Annan. The location allows a good view of the Solway Firth . Its masonry, which is up to 1.8 m thick, consists of large blocks of rubble that were roughly hewn into cuboids and built into irregular layered masonry . The four-storey defense tower has a base area of ​​13 m × 8.3 m and a height of 12.5 m.

The original entrance portal on the south side has segmented arches with unusual foliage ornamentation. Just like the door, the lattice gate comes from the 19th century. A window from the same construction period has meanwhile been closed with masonry. Single Level more narrow are loopholes embedded. A wide horizontal loopholes is located above the ornamented plate above the main portal. Slot windows illuminate the staircase on the southeast edge. The facades close with a cantilevered battlement reinforcement, which was possibly reconstructed in the 19th century.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
  2. ↑ a b c Entry on Stapleton Tower  in Canmore, the database of Historic Environment Scotland (English)
  3. ↑ Entry on buildingsatrisk.org.uk

Web links

Commons : Stapleton Tower  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 55 ° 0 ′ 30.5 "  N , 3 ° 11 ′ 53.1"  W.