Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 2.djvu/262

FOURTH PERIOD 246 HARTHILL CASTLE the hall occupies the whole of the main building, and is 30 feet by 18 feet. It enters from the main staircase in the recess of a window. The great fireplace has ornamental jambs, with seats and ambry in the ingoings. An outer doorway leads from the south wall of the hall on to the battlements of the enclosing wall of the courtyard (Fig. 700), and has been furnished with double doors. There is a series of four bedrooms in the height of the south-west round tower, with a newel stair from the hall, garde-robes, etc. The room on the hall floor in this tower seems to have been the private room. The wooden floors of the upper stories are gone, but the arrangements are similar to those of the first floor, the staircases in the north-east and south-west angles being carried up for their convenience. The disposition of some of the shot-holes is peculiar, such as that of the kitchen fireplace, and the long one carried diagonally through the wall of the south-west staircase, for the purpose of commanding the west flank of the tower. The interesting gateway to the courtyard, above referred to (Fig. 700), has a semicircular arch, above which there was a small gatehouse over an enriched corbel table. Part of the south gable still remains, with a window in the centre, and a panel for a coat of arms on each side of it. The castle was surrounded by a ditch, some traces of which are observ- able on the west side. It now belongs to Colonel Knight Erskine of Pittodrie. INCHOCH CASTLE, NAIRNSHIRE. This building originally presented a slight modification of the keep plan, w r ith towers at two of the diagonally opposite corners, as indicated by the black shading on the plans (Fig. 701). Both of the towers are round exter- nally, but one of them (the north-west tower) is large enough to contain an apartment, and is square internally, while that at the south-east angle is only large enough to contain the wheel stair, with steps 4 feet 6 inches long, to the first floor. The towers are provided on the ground floor with shot-holes to defend the sides of the building. The ground floor was all vaulted. The original kitchen was small, but had the usual large fireplace, and a window slightly wider than the narrow loops of the cellars and passage. A stone sink is neatly fitted in the ingoing of the kitchen window, The hall occupies the first floor. It is FIG. 701. luchocli Castle. Plans. with a drain to the outside.