(no subject)

It's time for Castle of the Month now, and there can only be contender for February's title - the Tower of Caldwell in East Renfrewshire.

As I mentioned in my previous post, this little tower is a bit of a mystery.  It's the seat of the Mures of Caldwell, and I know it extremely well because I featured a fictional interpretation of it, or its predecessor, in my historical novel.

Now, the Mures of Caldwell go back a long way, and it seems extremely likely that there was once a fairly substantial medieval castle somewhere in the  vicnity.  This little number is not it:-

 

And while I once belonged to the contingent who thought that this structure was built on the former site of a corner turret of the earlier castle, I'm now not remotely convinced... 

The original features include gunloops, and this would imply an origin in the 16th century.  But the whole structure has been heavily rebuilt over the past three or four hundred years.  Historical sources record that the Mures had to forfeit their property in the mid 17th century, and one of their first actions on recovering the estate towards the end of the 17th century was to restore the ruins of the Tower of Caldwell.  The crenellations on the parapet are, however, likely to be the result of a 19th century attempt to make the place look more castellated and 'Gothick'.

The function of the Tower of Caldwell is unclear.  As it survives today, it's far too small to function as a domestic structure for your average late medieval/early modern clan chief.  There's no kitchen to speak of, there's no garderobes (i.e. toilets) and to put it bluntly, it's really not the kind of place that's going to impress the neighbours (and there were some pretty important neighbours...)  A hunting lodge, perhaps?  It seems a bit too Spartan and austere even for that.

So even after some more investigations, the Tower of Caldwell must remain a mystery, I'm afraid.  But it remains a very striking landmark which can be seen from the road that runs past Uplawmoor, and it's a telly star  - if you ever get a chance to watch the series 'Restoration Man', keep an eye open for it, and console yourselves with the knowledge that work is progressing, and the Tower of Caldwell is now in the process of restoration.
 

 

(no subject)

It's time for Castle of the Month now, and there can only be contender for February's title - the Tower of Caldwell in East Renfrewshire.

As I mentioned in my previous post, this little tower is a bit of a mystery.  It's the seat of the Mures of Caldwell, and I know it extremely well because I featured a fictional interpretation of it, or its predecessor, in my historical novel.

Now, the Mures of Caldwell go back a long way, and it seems extremely likely that there was once a fairly substantial medieval castle somewhere in the  vicnity.  This little number is not it:-

 

And while I once belonged to the contingent who thought that this structure was built on the former site of a corner turret of the earlier castle, I'm now not remotely convinced... 

The original features include gunloops, and this would imply an origin in the 16th century.  But the whole structure has been heavily rebuilt over the past three or four hundred years.  Historical sources record that the Mures had to forfeit their property in the mid 17th century, and one of their first actions on recovering the estate towards the end of the 17th century was to restore the ruins of the Tower of Caldwell.  The crenellations on the parapet are, however, likely to be the result of a 19th century attempt to make the place look more castellated and 'Gothick'.

The function of the Tower of Caldwell is unclear.  As it survives today, it's far too small to function as a domestic structure for your average late medieval/early modern clan chief.  There's no kitchen to speak of, there's no garderobes (i.e. toilets) and to put it bluntly, it's really not the kind of place that's going to impress the neighbours (and there were some pretty important neighbours...)  A hunting lodge, perhaps?  It seems a bit too Spartan and austere even for that.

So even after some more investigations, the Tower of Caldwell must remain a mystery, I'm afraid.  But it remains a very striking landmark which can be seen from the road that runs past Uplawmoor, and it's a telly star  - if you ever get a chance to watch the series 'Restoration Man', keep an eye open for it, and console yourselves with the knowledge that work is progressing, and the Tower of Caldwell is now in the process of restoration.