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Bridge Castle is an
Bridge Castle is an L-plan castle
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 ...
, dating from the 16th century, standing on a rocky site north west of Bathgate
Bathgate ( or , ) is a town in West Lothian, Scotland, west of Livingston, Scotland, Livingston and adjacent to the M8 motorway (Scotland), M8 motorway. Nearby towns are Linlithgow, Livingston, and West Calder. A number of villages fall under ...
in West Lothian
West Lothian (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, bordering (in a clockwise direction) the City of Edinburgh council area, Scottish Borders, South Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire and Falkirk (council area), Falkirk. The modern counci ...
, 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 ...
,Maurice Lindsay (1986) ''The Castles of Scotland''. Constable. p97 on the west of the Barbauchlaw Burn. The former name of the castle was Little Brighouse.
History
The castle was sold by Alexander Stewart of Scotstounhill to William Livingstone, 6th Lord Livingston in 1588.John Maitland Thomson, ''Register of the Great Seal of Scotland'', vol. 5 (Edinburgh, 1888), p. 525 no. 1531. Lord Livingston probably added the castle wing. After the Livingstones supported theJacobite rising of 1715
The Jacobite rising of 1715 ( ;
or 'the Fifteen') was the attempt by James Francis Edward Stuart, James Edward Stuart (the Old Pretender) to regain the thrones of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland ...
they forfeited their land and titles. The Hopes acquired the property which remains in their possession. The architect James Maitland Wardrop altered the property internally and enlarged it to form a Victorian mansion. The building was listed at category B in 1971, at which time it was a hotel.
Structure
The castle was a rectangular building, three storeys and a garret high. A wing with crow-stepped gables was added to form the L-plan. Theparapet
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 ...
of the original tower was bridged across a recessed lintel as link to the new wing. The first storey is vaulted, while other storeys have been modernised. There is a stair tower in the re-entrant angle, round, but corbelled to square above. There is a new entrance through a pediment
Pediments are a form of gable in classical architecture, usually of a triangular shape. Pediments are placed above the horizontal structure of the cornice (an elaborated lintel), or entablature if supported by columns.Summerson, 130 In an ...
ed Gothic porch
A porch (; , ) is a room or gallery located in front of an entrance to a building. A porch is placed in front of the façade of a building it commands, and forms a low front. Alternatively, it may be a vestibule (architecture), vestibule (a s ...
.
References