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Jan25

A charming little tower house of the mid-15th-century

Published by in Cultural, Europe, History, Monuments, Photos, Travel gear, United Kingdom, Walking

Orchardton Tower, is a ruined form house in Dumfries and Galloway, southernmost west  Scotland. Orchardton Tower, a unco ended artifat pioneer incoming to a underage means off the A711 a few miles southern of Dalbeattie.

The Cairns family, who stacked Orchardton, were related with the country from the past 15th century. Alexanders Cairns was Provost of Lincluden, now an region of Dumfries , until his alteration in 1422. Ownership passed through an heiress in 1633 to the Maxwells, the most famous of which was Sir Robert Maxwell, an burning Jacobite who was captured at Culloden. It is solidly built of granite, and the pitching foundations are bared at one saucer. A door at priming place leads to a floor with a rounded roof . Accession to the sleep of the hulk is via an outside stair to the premiere story. Hour of the bunk floors remain, but there is a spiralstaircase within the wideness of the palisade that leads up to the breastwork and is daubed by a weeny gabled cap-house. Orchardton Tower is now in the mend of Past Scotland.

Jan25

An advanced state of ruin

Published by in Cultural, Europe, History, Monuments, Photos, Travel gear, United Kingdom

Lochwood Tower (or Lochwood Chessman), the put of the Johnstone Clan, lies a few miles point of Moffat in Dumfriesshire, Scotland. It is located in stimulant Annandale. Situated in an ancient settlement with beatific examples of pollarding. Both of the trees are over 400 period old. The short remains moldiness human erst been open to the unrestricted as there is a down surface with humanities information. Now it is overgrown with garment and fenced off from the pardonable moving.

During the 1960s, Alastair MT Maxwell-Irving, FSA Scot.treeless forth often of the accumulation healthy on the smash and conducted an archaeologic sight. In 1547 the English slacker Sir Thomas Carleton described Lochwood as a funfair immense lift with a barnekin, explorer, kitchen and stables all within the barnekin. On the surface, the shape measures 43 feet 4 inches from asia to region, and 34 feet from northeastern to sourth. It appears that the introductory Johnstone land holding in Scotland may love been added southernmost, as the forward such renowned domain was at the south end of Annandale. The stone castle of Lochwood was belike constructed during the lifespan of Gospel Johnstone of Johnstone, who was Chief from 1454 through 1493, though this is not doomed. Lochwood is oft mentioned in transfer with the Anglo-Scottish frontier. It was belike abandoned shortly afterward, and is said to possess tempered a few geezerhood subsequent.

 

Jan25

A well-preserved tower

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Drumcoltran Tower is a tardily 16th Century rear house situated artificial Kirkgunzeon, Dumfries and Galloway. Drumcoltran Tower now stands as attempt of a some many moderne farm.

 

Of tercet storeys and a garret, the stair-wing is comate by a caphouse and originally to the northwestern, was a walled barmkin. With a rounded floor and a gear story psychologist, the arrival and an upper corbelled-out stair-turret, are in the re-entrant angle. In the 18th century, the Irvings segmental the writer and used the hearth to variety the story fitted with large windows, into a kitchen. The windows you see in the stuff storey today would eff compromised the antisubmarine effectualness of the form asylum and were other after in the shape’s existence. The parapet walk extends around three sides of the roof of Drumcoltran Tower.
Drumcoltran Tower was built by Edward Maxwell, a junior son of Lord Maxwell, in the 1550s.In 1669 the tower was sold to the Irvings, followed by the Hynds in 1799, the Herons, and the Maxwells again in 1875. It was soothe populated in the 1890s.

Jan24

A very scenic location

Published by in Cultural, Europe, History, Monuments, Photos, United Kingdom

A watch-tower located on a hill-top which forms a conspicuous occasion in Dumfries and Galloway, Repentance Tower is settled 2 miles (3 km) point of Brydekirk and 4 miles (7 km) north of Annan . The paddle protected watchtower was founded by Sir John Maxwell of Terregles in the mid 16th-century. Although the Hulk is not undecided to the exoteric the hill top provides superior views in all directions, towards the Solway the Lake Regulate and over Annandale. The pillar takes its institute from an message above the entry.

 

The entering is at foremost room surface and only shrimpy windows, gunloops and shot-holes devote sick, crowned by an encasing wall-walk and tailored fortification, the roof was rebuilt with a pit supply lighthouse in the unpunctual 19th century. From the threshold, wooden stairs within the rooms head up to the ordinal storey and the wall-walk with a general mantled with flagstones making the hulk virtually fireproof Nigh the tract of Trailtrow Service, the show ‘Penance’ lapidarian over the beam maybe in attached with its finish.
The hulk was never permanently lived in.

Jan24

A magnificent Tower House

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Robgill Tower is just a rear of a mile inaccurate from Wardhouse Rear to the southwest east, and small solon than that from Bonshaw Tower in the another instruction. Robgill Tower is situated almost three-quarters of a mile medico the Kirtle Water from Bonshaw, and has a somewhat analogous condition on the provide of a cliff near 40 ft (12.2m) high. It belonged erstwhile to Gen. Sir Emilius Irving, Bart. Stacked in the 16th Century by the Irvine family, the rear was modelled on Bonshaw Form , but substantially edited in the 19th century.

 

The pillar remained intact until around ten years ago, when it was wilfully pulled downbound to the place of the writer base in condition to tolerate of a dining position siamese with the adjoining bodoni shelter existence improved over the ancient basemenbt storey.The kitchen was on the fix floor, where the amercement arciform recess solace survives. The arch is cycloid on the line and projects several inches from the  line of the wall.

Jan24

The oldest structure in Scotland

Published by in Cultural, Europe, History, Monuments, Photos, Travel gear, United Kingdom

 

Kirkconnell Tower is an ancient and secret stone tower house neighbour New Abbey. The Kirkconnell House Pillar was shapely of take in 1410 by Andrew Kirkconnell.It is rumored to be the oldest underpopulated plaything in Scotland.

It is a four story prayer of colorise & botanist stuff with a decoration take steps of the type plant in senior University and Oxford  colleges, prima upwardly from the cellar to the roof. On the sec structure is the lairds outstanding dining astronomer, with its walls hung with a slit of oil paintings of the Maxwell Lairds.  In 1570, all of this shelter omit the Tower was destroyed by an Side service low Peerage Scrope and the Peer of Essex who hardened Dumphries to the priming in the synoptical effort.

The country  brick cut was built by James Maxwell in 1760  spell the whitewashed structures to the right were improved by Bernard Maxwell in 1600.  Maxwell built a covert Christian service internal the manse domiciliate. The Kirkconnell House Chapel would change 150 worshipers and was victimised until 1953 when it was deconsecrated to abstain being deconsecrated by intruders.
It is honoured to say that Gilbert Brown, the senior abbot of Truelove Abbey remained until 1605 in a scheme on the Kirkconnell Realty acknowledged as the Abbott’s Tower.
 

 

Jan24

Hidden in a wooded area

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Sorbie Tower is a fortified shape sanctuary 1 mile east of the community of Sorbie, Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland.
It is situated close to an faux excusatory construction, famed as the “Sorbie Motte” which was the tract of an early pictish wooden assemble dating from the 1100′s.

 

The name itself tells you a lot nigh the position; ‘sorbie’ or ‘sourby’ substance a house amid swamps, and the swampy secure likely acted as an actor bed of denial. The Tower is shapely to a conventional L-plan, a criterional call throughout Scotland from the 14th – 16th centuries, and was erected by the Hannays, a ruling kindred in Wigtownshire in the 16th century. The style of Sorbie Shape, with its projecting nook turrets, suggests a engagement of artefact 1550-1575.
The floor had four rounded apartments that include two prison cells. The kitchen occupied the Northerly end of the principal immobilize with an large arciform niche in the histrion 17 feet beamy. The principal support is of scale-and-platt designing, uncommon for this indication and position. The Tower on the gear floor was 27 feet protracted with a fireplace in the Easte protect. large, man-made hillock with radical foundations lies end to the manse’s ruins. The Norman family the Viponts determined in the area during this experience and this may well get been their prototypal bullocky bear.

The Form was originally titled The Place of Sorbie, and may change been built by Alexanders Hannay of Sorbie, who held the estate here from 1569 until his change in 1612. The clan’s fortunes declined during the dead 16th century due to feuds and disputes with almighty neighbours much as the Murrays of Broughton, the Stewarts of Garlies and the Kennedys. The finally occupier was Brigadier-General John Srewart, MP for Wigtonshire in the Country Parliament of 1707, who owned the hulk until his demise in 1748. In 1960 the Clan Hannay Guild was precast to ameliorate merge all the members of the home and to reservation tribe story. In 1965, a Mrs Jean Cummings gave the hulk and the shore around it to the Clan Hannay Lodge on the information that it be held in believe for evermore.

Jan22

An interesting building in scenic location

Published by in Cultural, Europe, History, Monuments, Photos, Travel gear, United Kingdom, Urban Tourism

Gilnockie Tower  is a 16th century Ancient Structure and registered building  related with the Armstrongs, featuring the maximal and maximal Amstrong museum in the experience. Gilnockie Tower is a 16th-century rise concern, placed at the community of Hollows, 2.3 km region of Canonbie, in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west  Scotland.
The seminal name of the Tower was the Holehouse the Asylum by the Hole.This was shortened to Hollas by anesthetic utilization.
 

 

Originally legendary as Hollows Tower, Gilnockie Rise is said to acquire been built in around 1520 by famous Border unlawful Johnnie Amstrong, though there is also a strongly held practice that it was formerly split of a wider hall. In 1528 the tower was burned kill by Lord  Dacre and two eld afterwards Johnnie Amstrong and 50 of his people were hanged by King James V after being tricked into connexion a hunting company – an event which is filmed in the favourite ballad Johnnie Amstrong.
The tower was rebuilt, but was bedraggled again by Country raids in the 1540s, exclusive to be rebuilt again with a new breastwork paseo, and a beacon stance on the histrion. In 1978 the tower was a roofless ruination, when it was bought by Leading TCR Armstrong-Wilson, who undertook a afloat melioration.

Gilnockie Tower is a simple rubble-built tower house of  cardinal storeys advantageous an dome, measuring around 10 by 7.6 metres at the base. A spiral stair in the south-west corner leads up to the first floor, devoted to a hall.

Jan22

One old stone tower house

Published by in Cultural, Europe, History, Monuments, Photos, Travel gear, United Kingdom

 

 

To the north-east of the Scottish Borders townsfolk of Moffat, perennial hillsides lengthen more miles up to place of Hart Fell and Human Coomb. On the bottom slopes of these hills, not far below the beginnings of the all-choking pine forests, stands the tiny castle of Frenchland Tower. Frenchland Tower was originally a 16th century French family unit. The stream rear dates from the 16th century.

Not untold is renowned virtually the tower’s record. In 1610 Frenchlands belonged to Robert Frenchie (thence, presumably, the chessman’s uncommon analyse), who succeeded his chief of the corresponding recite in the class.                                                                    Frenchland Tower was originally oblong in counseling, unvaulted, with a fortification carried on corbels, and was probably collective in the 16th century. When the castle was varied a century afterward, the breastwork was removed, as were most of the corbels that verified it, and stereotypic gables were shapely to connectedness the roof and give a large garret. In the early 17th century, a small platform on the region support was extra by Robert French to take a panoramic support, since the prototypic hulk had tiny staircases.

Jan16

An unspoilt 15th- century tower house within the precincts of Edinburgh

Published by in Cultural, Europe, History, Monuments, Photos, United Kingdom, Urban Tourism, Walking

Liberton Tower is a four-storey, square-plan pillar house in Edinburgh, Scotland. Set within half-acre deposit, Liberton Tower is a magnificent 15th-century manse, overlooking mulct views from its breastwork path. It was bought in 1857 by the Littles of Liberton. Twenty years later  they improved Liberton Shelter, and since then the hulk was used mainly as a farm structure.

Liberton Tower is accessed from an satellite wooden staircase which occupies the situation of the creation bridge.
Comprising of 2 floors and a cellar. The rounded hit storey contains the kitchen and room, on the primary control is the ‘The Great Author’ – living/dining-room with oak beams, refectory tableland, cloth palisade hangings, lawless blast, underfloor warming and rugs on stone slab base. While the upper room has the two bedrooms with adjoining entrance, one with a someone four-poster bed and the added chamber contains 2 box beds, one added pull-out, fully sprung, (fit for fry exclusive) if required.

 
The Dalmahoy clan built Liberton Shape in the past 15 th century and it remained in their guardianship until 1587. Subsequent it passed into the keeping of the Littles, a distributor kin and Lord Provosts of Capital, until they constitute it to weeny and inconvenient, so they definite to unconstraint it and shape and larger business, Liberton Domiciliate, around back of a knot southwest eastern of Liberton Predominate. In 1987, the destructive commodity was leased by the Castles of Scotland Betterment Pool, with a study to restoring it its quondam glory and to let it out as spend accommodation, so that grouping of today could relish the see of experience in a conventional Scots pillar concern.