Old Place Of Mochrum, Mochrum, Dumfries and Galloway

Description

Castle, comprised of 2 towers of different dates, circa 1500 and circa 1580; complete restoration and additions, 1873 - 1908. W tower, circa 1500. S tower, circa 1580. Exterior restoration and enlargement by Richard Park, 1873 - 1902: W tower restored 1873 - 1874; S tower restored and connecting hall built 1877 - 1898; N and E service ranges built 1900 - 1902. Interior work designed by Robert Weir Schultz, 1903 - 1908; stone carving executed by H W Palliser; woodcarvings executed by Joseph Armitage; ironwork executed by Ernest Gimson; some woodwork executed by Ernest Gimson, and Ernest and Sidney Barnsley. Courtyard laid out by Schultz; wellhead designed by Schultz, 1902, executed by

Ernest Gimson. Walled garden designed by Schultz, 1903. Sundial designed by Schultz, executed by William Vickers, 1905. Connecting hall probably remodelled by Schultz, post 1912, to incorporate chapel.

Originally 2 square-plan towers, linked by wall. Towers restored; 2-storey hall built, incorporating linking wall, to form connection between towers. Ranges built to N and E as L-plan, with E range adjoining S tower and N range linked to W tower by arched pend, forming

enclosed courtyard. Asymmetrically disposed openings. Small-packed rubble. Cream sandstone ashlar dressings. Rybated margins to doors and windows, some chamfered, some with roll-moulded architraves. Mainly 4-centre-arched doors. Projecting eaves course. Leaded glazing, mainly in 2-light casement windows, some fixed glazing. Timber doors with decorative wrought-iron hinges of different designs. Crowstepped gables; crowsteps built of small stones covered over with thin stone slab. Ashlar crowsteps to dormerheads, with fleuron finials. Ashlar coped rubble stacks; gablehead to N to W tower; gablehead to E and W to S tower; wallhead to right to W and at centre to E to E range; gablehead to E and W, wallhead to right of centre to N, and 2 ridge stacks to N range. Grey slates, mainly graded.

W TOWER: 3-storey and attic. Corbelled crenellated parapet walk, with water spouts, to N, and S elevations. Circular bartizans to each angle. Small cap-house to SE.

E (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: door to left of centre; small window flanking to right and window to left. Window above door at 1st floor. Window to right of centre and small window to left at 2nd floor. Dormerheaded window to right at 3rd floor; small window to cap-house to left.

N ELEVATION: adjoined to pend bay (see N range below).

W ELEVATION: pend bay slightly advanced to left. Slit window to left at 1st floor. Window to left of centre and very small window to right at 2nd floor. 2 dormerheaded windows at 3rd floor.

S ELEVATION: hall (see below) adjoined and advanced to right. Windows at centre at 1st and 2nd floors. Moulded panel, inscribed with crest and "1874", in gablehead above parapet walk.

S TOWER: 4-storey and attic, with 3rd storey breaking eaves.

N (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: broad gable rising from eaves, behind square stair-tower advanced at centre. Stair-tower: door to right at ground to W return; moulded blank panel above door; window at ground floor and to right at 3rd floor to N; windows at 1st and 2nd floors to E return; attic floor advanced on corbel course, with window to right to W return, window to right in gablehead to N, and window to left to E return. Re-entrant angle at 1st floor to right infilled, with coped roof, and suspended bell. Gun loop at ground floor and window at 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors to left and right.

W ELEVATION: hall (see below) adjoined and advanced to left. Window at centre at 1st floor. Window to left of centre at 2nd floor. Window to right at 3rd floor. Moulded blank panel in gablehead.

S (GARDEN) ELEVATION: broad gable rising from eaves at centre. 2 windows to left and right of centre at 1st floor. 2 windows to left and right and pair of windows at centre at 2nd floor. Dormerheaded window to right and 2 windows to gable at 3rd floor. Window to attic

floor in gablehead.

E ELEVATION: E range adjoined at ground and 1st floors. Small window to left at 2nd floor. Window to left at 3rd floor. Moulded blank panel in gablehead.

HALL: straight parapet, with ball finials to SW and NE angles. Door to left to E within courtyard. Slit window at ground floor and window at 1st floor to N within courtyard. 2 windows at 1st floor to S to garden; door at ground floor into adjoining modern glasshouse.

E RANGE: single storey and tall attic.

W (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: gabled bay advanced to right; door to left on N return; window to right between floors and window to left at 1st floor to W. Doors to outer left and right; windows to left and right of centre at ground floor. Slit window to right of centre at 1st

floor; dormerheaded windows to left and right. Bay, facing N, adjoined to S tower to right; door to left and window at 1st floor.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: gabled bay to outer left slightly advanced; window to left of centre at ground floor, and at 1st floor. Gabled bay to outer right; protruding dome (oven) to left. Door to left of centre; 2 windows to left and window to right at ground floor. Window

between floors to right. 2 slit windows to right and 2 dormerheaded windows to left at 1st floor.

S (GARDEN) ELEVATION: 2 windows.

N RANGE: single storey and tall attic.

S (COURTYARD) ELEVATION: doors to left and outer right; window to left of centre and to outer left at ground floor. 3 dormerheaded windows at 1st floor. 2 small windows set in re-entrant angles at 1st floor to outer left and right. Gabled pend bay, facing E, to left; segmental-arch to pend; window to left in gablehead; door to N within pend.

N ELEVATION: 5 windows at ground floor. 5 dormerheaded windows at 1st floor. Off-set wallhead stack to right of centre, with small window set in to left.

W ELEVATION: window to right at ground floor and to left at 1st floor; moulded blank panel in gablehead. Gabled pend bay to right; segmental-arched gateway, with 2-leaf gate; window in gablehead above.

INTERIOR: timber panelling and ceilings. Stone chimneypieces. W tower turnpike staircase; vaulted rooms at ground and 1st floors. Turnpike staircase to S tower. Chapel, at 1st floor in connecting hall: low timber ceiling; rough stone walls. Kitchen, dining hall and gun room in N range. Kitchen offices and stores in E range.

COURTYARD AND WELLHEAD: cobbles, intersected by stone-flagged paths. Well, with hexagonal red sandstone parapet; decorative wrought-iron overthrow well-head (Schultz, Gimson, 1902).

WALLED GARDEN: square-plan formal garden to S. Rubble walls; surmounted by spaced semi-circular rubble stones to W; heavily buttressed to E, wall stepped up at intervals with rounded boulder finials. Arched gateways, with flagged coping and boulder finials; timber gates with elaborate wrought-iron work. SE corner of wall built on natural rock and corbelled from square to form 3 bartizans; raised platform to SE corner of garden, with circular stone garden seat. Random rubble-flagged paths radiating from sundial at centre.

SUNDIAL: dated 1905. Detached horizontal sundial. Cream sandstone. Circular bronze dial; open gnomon. Octagonal dial-stone inscribed "J C S AD 1905" (John Crichton-Stuart). Octagonal pedestal, with square-section base, set on circular base. Range of lean-to outbuildings (circa 1900), with central archway and open bays, to E.

Drystone rubble boundary walls; squat rubble drum piers, with band courses and conical caps, surmounted by small boulder finials.

Statement of Interest

Old Place of Mochrum is sometimes known as Castle of Mochrum or Drumwalt. The Old Place of Mochrum was formerly the seat of the Dunbars. The West tower was built by Sir John Dunbar some time between 1474 - 150, and according to the INVENTORY it probably dates from circa 1500. According to both the INVENTORY and MacGibbon and Ross, the south tower resembles in plan Carsluith, built in 1581. The property was acquired by John Patrick Crichton-Stuart, the Third Marquess of Bute, who began restoration work on the Old Place of Mochrum; work was completed under John Crichton-Stuart, the Fourth Marquess of Bute. The castle was restored from a roofless ruin. Restoration work began in 1873 to designs by Richard Park. The west tower was restored from 1873 - 1874. The south or Ladies' Tower was restored and the hall connecting the two towers was built between 1877 - 1898. The two ranges of buildings to the north and east were built from 1900 - 1902; the north range was built upon the foundations of an earlier wing, probably of late 15th to early 16th century date. Restoration work was continued by Robert Weir Schultz from 1903 - 1908; in a letter, dated 26 May 1903, Schultz states that it has been "settled with park about the transfer of the work". The connecting hall was remodelled to incorporate a chapel, probably by Schultz in or after 1912, with Park's

crowstepped gables and dormerheads being replaced by a straight parapet. Schultz's work on the interior consisted of installing panelling and chimneypieces, and designing and commissioning furniture.

During restoration, the crowsteps were reproduced in the style which is peculiar to Galloway. See separate listings for Old Place of Mochrum: Bridge; Cartshed; Electricity House and Sawmill.

External Links

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