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endlessraritiesThe ground is still frozen. There was a fresh sprinkling of snow yesterday morning, but we still managed to get out for a very short walk.
I think I'm beginning to suffer from cabin fever...
One of the things I hope to do in this blog is highlight some of the buildings and monuments that in my view, have the 'WOW' factor. Some will be local, some further afield. My tastes are extremely eclectic. When I was graduated from Uni, I used to joke that everything that post-dated the Roman Invasion of Britain should be bulldozed. Thankfully, I've mellowed. Neolithic chambered tombs, medieval churches, Classical mansions, brick-built 19th century industrial buildings. Each have their merits.
For my introductory monument, I've chosen Barr Castle, a post-medieval tower-house near Lochwinnoch. Tower-houses are arguably the predominant form of medieval defensive architecture in Scotland. They gained in popularity after King Robert I (Robert the Bruce, in popular parlance) decided that castle-building was a very bad idea. What's the point of investing heavily in a castle, if the English swan in a few years later, snatch it from you, then proceed to make your lives a misery by using it as a base from which to harrass you? Most of the surviving tower-houses aren't strictly medieval. They're usually late 16th century or thereabouts, though they often incorporate earlier fabric.
The photograph was taken by my husband last year - I'd love to get one of Barr Castle in the snow, but a) I'd ruin the gears on my mountain-bike, b) I'd get frost-bite, and c) I'd probably crash.
Barr Castle lies just outside Lochwinnoch (National Grid Reference: NS 3468 5815). It's clearly visible from the cycle-track which runs from Lochwinnoch to Kilbirnie (Sustrans Route 7), and from the nearby Lochwinnoch-Kilbirnie road. It's in private ownership, so it isn't open to the public. The interior was accessible in the 1990's, but has since been blocked. It's thought to be early 16th century in date, and was originally associated with the Glen family, before passing into the hands of the Hamiltons of Ferguslie.
I've added an earlier image of Barr Castle, taken from MacGibbon & Ross's masterly series of books The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland (1889) , just to show how much the poor thing has deteriorated in the last hundred years. Note the enclosure (barmkin) wall. And the corner turrets. They're all gone now, which is a great pity.
I think I'm beginning to suffer from cabin fever...
One of the things I hope to do in this blog is highlight some of the buildings and monuments that in my view, have the 'WOW' factor. Some will be local, some further afield. My tastes are extremely eclectic. When I was graduated from Uni, I used to joke that everything that post-dated the Roman Invasion of Britain should be bulldozed. Thankfully, I've mellowed. Neolithic chambered tombs, medieval churches, Classical mansions, brick-built 19th century industrial buildings. Each have their merits.
For my introductory monument, I've chosen Barr Castle, a post-medieval tower-house near Lochwinnoch. Tower-houses are arguably the predominant form of medieval defensive architecture in Scotland. They gained in popularity after King Robert I (Robert the Bruce, in popular parlance) decided that castle-building was a very bad idea. What's the point of investing heavily in a castle, if the English swan in a few years later, snatch it from you, then proceed to make your lives a misery by using it as a base from which to harrass you? Most of the surviving tower-houses aren't strictly medieval. They're usually late 16th century or thereabouts, though they often incorporate earlier fabric.
The photograph was taken by my husband last year - I'd love to get one of Barr Castle in the snow, but a) I'd ruin the gears on my mountain-bike, b) I'd get frost-bite, and c) I'd probably crash.
Barr Castle lies just outside Lochwinnoch (National Grid Reference: NS 3468 5815). It's clearly visible from the cycle-track which runs from Lochwinnoch to Kilbirnie (Sustrans Route 7), and from the nearby Lochwinnoch-Kilbirnie road. It's in private ownership, so it isn't open to the public. The interior was accessible in the 1990's, but has since been blocked. It's thought to be early 16th century in date, and was originally associated with the Glen family, before passing into the hands of the Hamiltons of Ferguslie.
I've added an earlier image of Barr Castle, taken from MacGibbon & Ross's masterly series of books The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland (1889) , just to show how much the poor thing has deteriorated in the last hundred years. Note the enclosure (barmkin) wall. And the corner turrets. They're all gone now, which is a great pity.
