Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 2.djvu/95

BALBEGNO 79 - FOURTH PERIOD thrown across a segment of the circular staircase under each. More carefully executed, this idea might be carried out so as to produce a novel and striking effect. This castle now belongs to J. Dick Peddie, Esq w R.S.A. BALBEGNO, KINCARDINESHIRE. This is an important and interesting example,, as it is one of the few castles in Scotland which, like Towie Barclay in Aberdeenshire, have a ribbed and groined vault over the hall. At first sight this would seem to indicate an early date, but when we look to the other features which accompany it, we cannot resist the conclusion that this is simply an example of the return at a late date to one of the characteristics of an earlier period, of which we find so many instances in the Scottish archi- tecture of the time, both civil and ecclesiastical. This house was built by a cadet of the House of Bonnington in Angus, and contains on the battlement the inscription: "Ano 1569- I. WOD and E. IRVEIN." The plan is of the L shape, but contains some of those little modifi- cations so commonly introduced about that period. Owing to a farm- house having been added to the north-east end of the castle, the base- ment is a good deal altered, but the original door was evidently in the re-entering angle. From this a straight stair about 4 feet wide, curved round the corner, leads to the hall on the first flat (Fig. 544), whence a FIG. 544. Balbegno. Plans. good wheel stair takes to the upper floor, above which another narrow stair, corbelled out in the angle, conducts to the parapet. The stair to the first floor being (as usual at the time) a wide one, considerable space is required for it, and, in order to obtain this, the whole of the re-enter- ing angle is filled up, instead of merely having a turret inserted in the