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 locations ...
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, to command and defend strategic points ...
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 populat ...
,
Dumfriesshire
Dumfriesshire or the County of Dumfries or Shire of Dumfries () is a Counties of Scotland, historic county and registration county in southern Scotland. The Dumfries lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area covers a similar area to the hi ...
,
Scotland
Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
.
[Lindsay, Maurice (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p.74] It is attached to a 19th-century mansion.
[
]
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.][
]
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 (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...
parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an upward extension of a 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/brea ...
, 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