Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 2.djvu/84

FOURTH PERIOD 68 CORGARFF CASTLE Till 1831 the castle still contained a garrison of two officers and fifty men ; but these were 110 longer required to put down rebellion ; they were merely employed to support the civil authorities in the suppression of smuggling. FOURTH PERIOD L PLANS. We shall now proceed to describe some of the castles and houses of the Fourth Period which are built upon the L plan, i.e. with a wing attached at one angle, but projecting from one face only of the main building. The arrangements of this plan in the Fourth Period are generally similar to those of the previous periods, but they are subject to the same kind of modifications as are made during this period on the other typical plans. Thus the wing is sometimes appropriated as a staircase turret containing a newel stair, which either runs to the top of the building (as at Gylem and Elshieshields), or is carried only as high as the first floor, as at Brackie and Torwoodhead, and occasionally the re-entering angle is almost entirely filled up with the staircase and rooms above, as at Balbegno and Crathes. At Craigievar, again, the wing projects over two of the faces of the main building, somewhat in the manner of the double towers. A turret is sometimes introduced into the re-entering angle, as in the previous period ; but it does not generally act simply as a staircase turret, as in the earlier examples. At Craigievar, for instance, the turret in the angle contains an entrance lobby on the ground floor, and rooms on the upper floor. Other deviations from and modifications of the primitive arrangements will be pointed out as we proceed. ELSHIESHIELDS TOWER, DUMFRIESSHIRE. This picturesque tower (Fig. 534) stands on the banks of the Ae Water, about two miles northwards from Lochmaben. Its plan is that of a simple keep, with a square tower built at one of the angles to contain the staircase (Fig. 535). It thus presents us with a plan intermediate between the simple keep and the L plan. The entrance door is on the ground floor, and is commanded by a shot-hole from the kitchen, which occupies the whole of that floor. The first floor contains the hall, with bedrooms on the two upper flats. The top story is provided with dormer windows and large angle turrets, used as dressing-closets. The stair tower is continued two stories higher, and has a string-course and cornice ornamented with billet and cable mouldings. These features indicate that this tower dates from the