Description

Circa 1875.3-storey, z-plan castellated former store and armoury, 3- by 3-bay elevations with diagonally opposed, clasping corner towers. Bull-faced yellow sandstone with stugged dressings and chamfered arrises. Ground storey battered at corner towers. Battered band course above ground, and to wallhead below deep, crenellated parapet with gabled coping. Each face of square core regularly fenestrated with window to each floor and bay; corner stair towers to N and S corners, doors to inner returns, stepped arrowslit windows to stairs, regular arrowslit windows to towerheads, breaking eaves and with heavy corbelled crenellations above.

Metal small-pane glazing with upper hopper panes.

INTERIOR: cantilevered stone stairs to towers, later metal handrail.

Cast-iron columns to stores.

Statement of Interest

The Keep is a dominant, powerful centrepiece to the barrack complex. It likely dates to the period 1875-1877, when the site changed function from a military prison to the brigade depot for southeast Scotland. The building bears some similarities to the castellated design of buildings at HMP Perth (LB39331).

Glencorse prison was complete by 1813 and cost £100,000 (Groome.) It could accommodate 6000 prisoners and a plan shows observation walkways and prison blocks radiating from a principal terrace. This form may have survived the conversion to the general military prison for Scotland in 1845, but it was demolished either by or during the conversion to the central brigade depot for southeast Scotland in 1875-1877. Greenlaw House was also demolished, though the cellars may survive in the Officers' Mess block to the southeast. Glencorse Barracks remains in use by the military.

The Keep is part of a group including the clock tower (LB44614), the barrack block (LB44615), the chapel, terrace and stores (LB44616) and the memorial lodges, gates, gatepiers and boundary walls (LB44617).

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External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17827728

External links are from the relevant listing authority and, where applicable, Wikidata. Wikidata IDs may be related buildings as well as this specific building. If you want to add or update a link, you will need to do so by editing the Wikidata entry.

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