History in Structure

Southside Castle

A Category B Listed Building in Newbattle, Midlothian

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Coordinates

Latitude: 55.8637 / 55°51'49"N

Longitude: -3.0093 / 3°0'33"W

OS Eastings: 336930

OS Northings: 663850

OS Grid: NT369638

Mapcode National: GBR 70FM.9W

Mapcode Global: WH7V6.RW66

Plus Code: 9C7RVX7R+F7

Entry Name: Southside Castle

Listing Name: Southside Including Boundary Wall

Listing Date: 22 January 1971

Category: B

Source: Historic Scotland

Source ID: 347920

Historic Scotland Designation Reference: LB14546

Building Class: Cultural

ID on this website: 200347920

Location: Newbattle

County: Midlothian

Electoral Ward: Midlothian East

Parish: Newbattle

Traditional County: Midlothian

Tagged with: Tower house

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Description

1640-1644; substantial later alterations. Traditional L-plan towerhouse with narrow angle turrets corbelled at 1st floor; 3 storeys, originally 4. Later additions including NE 2-storey wing to form T-plan house. Sandstone rubble; slaister pointing to original house; tooled, snecked rubble with stugged and chamfered ashlar surrounds to additions.

S (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: partly obscured by staircase and porch additions in re-entrant angle. Single ground floor window; mullioned bipartite window at 1st floor; 2 at 2nd floor; crowstepped gableheads. Mullioned bipartite window with crowstepped gablehead at 2nd floor at right return. Gabled porch to right return; ashlar to principal elevation roll-moulded doorway; arched timber doorframe. Advanced ashlar coping to gable with skewputts. Single window in right return. Advanced 2-storey crowstepped staircase addition to left; moulded chamfer stop to quoin; roll-moulded band course forming hoodmould to window; single narrow window above. Gabled dormer breaking eaves with blank plaque above to right return. Advanced wing to outer right with 1880's tripartite box window. Various blocked openings in S gable wall. Two angle turrets to S wall; ashlar eaves course; single square window in each turret.

W ELEVATION: door to right; modern glazed conservatory; asphalt monopitch roof. Single window at 1st floor to left; 2 inscribed stones above; 'PE AC'; 'PE.AC.1640.4' (Patrick Ellis/Eleis of Plewlands and his wife); blocked window to right. Two angle turrets to gable; ashlar eaves course; single square window at 1st and 2nd floor in each turret. Crowstepped gable wallhead; apex chimney stack.

N ELEVATION: irregular ground floor fenestration. Off-centre crowstepped timpany gable; corniced double chimney stack; 2 mullioned bipartite rectangular windows at 1st and 2nd floors aligned below timpany gable. Blocked windows in right bay; blocked window slit to left bay. 2-storey, 3-bay wing to left; glazed door to left; 2 single windows to right; 3 catslide dormer windows aligned above at 1st floor. Single storey addition to far left.

E ELEVATION: raised skews to far right gable; crowstepped gable with apex chimneystack to 2-storey wing. Advanced porch to door; raised skews; single light in right return. 2 ground floor flanking windows to right; window with catslide dormer above door to right. Advanced curve of stairtower to left of porch; blocked ground floor window; corbelled storey above with 1st floor window; coped gablehead with skewputt. Mullioned bipartite window; blocked opening above to E elevation of towerhouse. Corbelled, curved protrusion of staircase to right of window; voussoirs of blocked arched opening below. Crowstepped gable wall to towerhouse; apex stack.

Varied glazing; predominantly narrow rectangular 6-pane timber sash and case windows to original towerhouse; 12-pane timber sash and case windows to additions; some interior shutters. Grey slate roof to towerhouse. Grey slate pepperpot turret roofs; lead capped; ball finials. Purple slate to additions.

INTERIOR: Marble plaque in porch bears Lothian initials and rising sun emblem, similar to plaque at Newbattle Abbey. Ground floor vaulted room to N in original towerhouse; originally 1, now partitioned into 2 rooms; large fireplace to NE; meat hooks in ceiling; splayed windows reveal thick walls.

BOUNDARY WALL: cut rubble walls; curved and ridged capping stones surround garden, adjoining field and partitions garden. Square piers; pyramidal coping stones to field entrance. 2 chamfered and panelled square piers; square bases; corniced pyramidal coping stones to driveway entrance.

Statement of Interest

Once part of the Newbattle Abbey estate, built or possibly altered by Patrick Ellis circa 1640 and greatly altered mid-late 19th century with the addition of the 2 storey wing, crowstepped dormers, porch, the removal of old stairs and addition of the stair tower; the repair of the turrets (which is evident in the coursed sandstone of the upper levels), the lowering of the roof level and the reduction of 4 storeys to 3. There was a well in the garden which has been covered up.

External Links

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