Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 2.djvu/340

FOURTH PERIOD 324 INVERUG1E CASTLE INVERUGIE CASTLE, ABERDEENSHIRE. Inverugie Castle is situated about two miles from Peterhead, on the high northern bank overlooking the river Ugie. As will be seen from the sketch plan (Fig. 776) the castle is an oblong building with two round towers, one at the south-east, and the other at the north-east corner. This is an unusual arrangement, as the round towers are generally at diagonally oppo- site angles. The Inverugie plan is to be seen at Morton Castle, Dumfriesshire, but the latter is of a much earlier date, and was a fortified place of strength, which In- verugie is not. The round towers of Morton are placed as best suited for the defence of the castle under its local circumstances, but here we cannot say what circumstances caused the deviation from the normal plan. The buildings are four stories high, and there was probably one extra story in the round towers, which are now ruinous at the top. On the vaulted ground floor is the kitchen entering from the courtyard, and having a stair of communication in the thickness of the wall to the hall above. This stair lands in the window ingoing. The entrance to the hall is by an outside or fore stair, having a vaulted roof with rib mouldings. This is likewise unusual. A somewhat similar arrangement, which was probably an addition of the sixteenth century, exists at the entrance to the keep at Ravenscraig Castle, Fifeshire. At the landing of the fore stair a corkscrew staircase contained in a projecting round tower continues the access to the summit. The hall, which is on the first floor (Fig. 777), is a spacious apart- ment with lofty arched window recesses and a large fireplace at one end. Entering from it are the square-shaped rooms in the round towers, adjoining to which is a wheel stair at each tower. The whole interior of the building is utterly ruinous, neither roof nor floor remaining. This is the more to be regretted, as at a very recent period the building was in perfect order, the late proprietor, James Ferguson,, Esq., who died in 1820, having thoroughly repaired the castle OHVEP IKI OAK FIG. 776. Inverugie Castle. Sketch Plan.