Angus HER - NO33SW0008 - FOWLIS CASTLE

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Main Details

Primary ReferenceNO33SW0008
NameFOWLIS CASTLE
NRHE Card No.NO33SW8
NRHE Numlink 32053
HES SM No. NULL
HES LB No. 13619
Site Form Standing Structure
Site Condition Complete 2
Details Castle, in residential use. The site was in the Gray family since the 14th century, but the earliest part of the present castle was constructed in circa 1640. This tower house, known as 'Lady's Tower', probably formed the north-west corner of a larger quadrangular building with a courtyard and an outer wall defended by towers. By the 19th century the tower house was run down, and Sir Patrick Keith Murray has it repaired and extended by Hugh Robertson, architect, in 1862. It is shown on the 1st edition OS map as a T-plan building with an enclosure to the west. On the 2nd edition OS map, a pond has been added within the enclosure. Current maps show the pond has since been infilled. Since the 19th century, it has also been used as a bothy and as part of a farm. The 17th century section is a three-storey and attic tower house, with a conically-roofed stair tower and a massive offset outshot chimney. It is made T-plan by a two-storey and attic north wing, added in 1862, at which time the upper levels of the tower and the chimney were repaired. It is rubble-built with irregular quoins. The original building has chamfered ashlar margins, a cavetto eaves course, crowstepped gables and break skewputts. The skewputts on the west gable have masks, and there is a window at the ground floor with a date panel above the lintel inscribed 'Sir PKM 1862'. The south elevation has cream brick dormers, and the north elevation has tile hung dormers. There are shouldered stacks to the slate roofs. The later north wing has pentice-roofed single-storey former cellars to the north elevation. The central gable has a cross motif and coped skews. Inside the castle, there is a massive segmentally arched fireplace with an oven opening at the ground floor. A segmental moulding on the smithy to the north-west (NO 32080 33387) is said to have come from this castle.
Last Update04/03/2020
Updated Bycherbert
Compiler 
Date of Compilation 

Google Map for NO33SW0008

National Grid Reference: NO 3213 3333



Event Details


Excavations and Surveys


Artefact and Ecofact

Ecofact

Samples
Palynology
Ecofact Notes

Monument Types

Monument Type 1Monument Type 2Monument Type 3OrderProbability
CASTLES  A100
TOWERHOUSESRUBBLE-BUILTT-PLANB100
WINDOWSDORMER C100
STAIRCASES  D100
CHIMNEYS PROJECTINGE100
CASTLES REMAINS OFF100
WALLS SITE OFG100
TOWERS SITE OFH100
PONDS SITE OFI100
TOWERSSTAIR J100
ROOFS CONICALK100
MARGINSASHLAR L100
COURSESCAVETTO M100
GABLES CROW-STEPPEDN100
MASKS  O100
PANELSDATEINITIALLEDP100
DORMERSBRICK Q100
DORMERSTILE R100
WINGS  S100
MOTIFSCROSS T100
FIREPLACESSEGMENTALARCHEDU100