Barjarg Tower is an
L-plan
An L-plan castle is a castle or tower house in the shape of an L, typically built from the 13th to the 17th century. This design is found quite frequently in Scotland, but is also seen in England, Ireland, Romania, Sardinia, and other location ...
tower house
A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
probably dating from 1680, four miles south-east of
Penpont
Penpont is a village about west of Thornhill in Dumfriesshire, in the Dumfries and Galloway region of Scotland. It is near the confluence of the Shinnel Water and Scaur Water rivers in the foothills of the Southern Uplands. It has a populati ...
,
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries (''Siorrachd Dhùn Phris'' in Gaelic) is a historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the historic county.
I ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.
[Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p.74] It is attached to a 19th-century mansion.
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]
History
The land appears to have been given to Thomas Grierson by the Earl of Morton
The title Earl of Morton was created in the Peerage of Scotland in 1458 for James Douglas of Dalkeith. Along with it, the title Lord Aberdour was granted. This latter title is the courtesy title for the eldest son and heir to the Earl of Morton. ...
in 1587.[
Subsequent owners included the judge Lord Tinwald and the minister ]Andrew Hunter Andrew Hunter or Andy Hunter may refer to:
Sports
*Andrew Hunter (British swimmer) (born 1986), British swimmer who was a medalist in the Commonwealth Games
*Andrew Hunter (Irish swimmer) (born 1952), Irish swimmer
*Andy Hunter (footballer, born 18 ...
.[
]
Structure
The castle, which has been modernised within, has a crenellated
A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...
parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
, which may be a later addition.[ It has one open round turret at one corner and two conically capped turrets at two others.][ The castle, which has four storeys and an attic, is built of red rubble.][
It is a category B listed building.]
References
External links
* http://www.francisfrith.com/barjarg-tower/photos/1951_b454001/
* https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192657/http://www.douglashistory.co.uk/history/images/Castles/Barjarg.jpg
{{Authority control
Castles in Dumfries and Galloway
Category B listed buildings in Dumfries and Galloway
Listed castles in Scotland