East Wing, Strathenry Castle, Glenrothes North, Leslie and Markinch, Fife

Description

Late 16th century tower, additions by William Burn 1824, remodelled by David Bryce 1845, further alterations by Henry F Kerr 1906, and later. Tower, 3-storey with attic, 3-bay, crowstepped with bartizan at E gable; single storey wing with attic to S extending to E forming courtyard, single storey wing to N, segmental-arched cart bays and finialled gabled dormerheads. Random whinstone rubble with quoins, stone margins and eaves course; additions coursed ashlar with long and short quoins, base and eaves course, chamfered arrises.

S (MAIN) ELEVATION: door with fanlight to left of centre below panel with initials 'TF' and 'IL' and armorial insignia, blocked opening to right, small opening and huge corner stone to outer right, lower extension adjoining at right angles to left; 1st floor window with relieving arch over door and window to outer right, roof pitch of extension to left; 3 windows at 2nd floor and 3 swept dormers breaking eaves at 3rd floor into steep roof pitch.

N ELEVATION: (largely inaccessible therefore description relies upon NMRS photographs of 1972/3) 3-storey with part attic, 3-bay, with projecting centre stair tower with ogee roof and linking pitch roof, door to W below angled projecting porch and fanlight surmounted by monogram of member of Douglas family flanked by date 1699, window at 1st floor, windows to each floor of N face with decorative panel over 2nd floor, and tiny window to E close to eaves; single window to right at 1st floor; single storey lean-to extension with window to left adjoining single storey pitch-roof (porch?) extension to outer left, window at 2nd floor and swept dormer breaking eaves.

E ELEVATION: blank face with pitch-roofed extension to ground and 1st floor, bartizan at eaves height with parapet walk and open turrets to outer angles, crowstepped gable behind.

W ELEVATION: window to outer left at 1st floor and attic level, crowstepped gable.

Mainly 12-pane glazing pattern in sash and case windows. Grey slates with ashlar coped stepped skews and moulded skewputts, coped rubble stacks to tower, cavetto coped and hipped ashlar stacks elsewhere, ball and point finials.

INTERIOR: basement originally a single vaulted chamber divided into 3 and central vault removed. 2 rooms to each of the upper floors with the 3rd floor opened to single room. Moulded stone and wooden fireplaces from late 17th century and panelled dining room.

COURTYARD EXTENSIONS: on previoulsy occupied sites. E wing extending to boundary wall, single storey with deep set door to left and (possibly) 2 garage doors to right. Symmetrical S wing with pend door to outer right, 4 cart-arch bays to left, 2 converted to part-glazed windows, 2 retaining early wooden split garage doors with tripartite lights, boarded door with quadripartite fanlight to outer left; 1st floor with 4 finialled dormer gablets breaking eaves, 2 to centre and 1 to outer left and right, modern rooflight to left of centre.

E return wing with cart-arch bay to right of centre, blocked windows in flanking bays beneath finialled dormer gablets, further blocked window to right and 2 boarded doors with quadripartite fanlights and adjacent flanking lights to left, each opening except cart bay having small air vent over under eaves level: E face with blocked centre window at ground and louvred window in gable.

OUTBUILDINGS, GATEPIERS, GATES AND BOUNDARY WALL: single storey building to N (Garden Cottage) with flat-roof porch extension to right and outer left window to N, outer left window to E; squared and snecked whinstone rubble with stepped, coped ashlar skews, skewputts and stacks, ball and spike finial. Further single storey, rectangular-plan outbuilding (gig house) to NW of Lodge, N elevation adjoining boundary wall with boarded door in segmental arched opening, small gate and lower boundary wall adjoining to W, and smaller extension to S; ashlar coped skews and moulded skewputts.

Range to NE (Steading Cottage), possibly by William Burn, coursed ashlar with long and short quoins, and stone mullion. Single storey with advanced gable to right with blocked bipartite window, 6 blocked windows to left with door to outer left, further left bay (possibly gabled) obscured; ashlar coped stacks, stepped skews and moulded skewputts.

GATEPIERS, GATES AND BOUNDARY WALLS: droved ashlar square gatepiers with flat coping and ball finials to main and rear entrances, round gatepiers with domed capping to N (Lodge) building, all with ornamental iron gates; ashlar coped squared and snecked whinstone rubble boundary walls.

Statement of Interest

Sir E Douglas married the Forrester heiress in 1699 and the estate remained in the Douglas family until 1882. This connection led to an incident involving Adam Smith (a Douglas on his mother's side) who was abducted by gypsies whilst staying at Strathendry circa 1726, he was rescued somewhere near Markinch.

The avenue of hazel trees to the north appear on Blaeu's map as an old Scottish Highway leading to Falkland. It was not possible to survey this site thoroughly.

External Links

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