Description

Low 16th century square-plan tower house with S range added circa 1600 forming 2-storey, rectangular-plan fortified house; stair-tower raised and conical roof restored 1942; single storey addition at S 1960s. Rubble pink and buff sandstone, stone slate roof. Multi-pane windows either sash and case, casement, casement and fixed top-pane or top-hopper, some bottle glass panes; moulded or chamfered architraves. Crowstepped gables with skewputts and crown finials; end and ridge coped stacks with thackstanes.

E ELEVATION: tower house at right; 2-leaf door at left, 6-pane casement at 1st floor with chamfered margins and narrow gun loop beneath cill, later forestair at right leading to door with roll-moulded doorcase and stone slab-roofed porch, further leaded window to main wall plane at outer right with irregular-shaped gun loop beneath. Larger circa 1600 range at left: 2-leaf entrance door with fanlight formed from former chimneybreast at centre, small rectangular opening at left; sash and case window to main wall plane left (6-pane at top, 3-pane at bottom) and right (9-pane at top, 3-pane at bottom) with stylised thistle motif security bars, moulded architraves; 3 windows with chamfered margins and cat-slide roofs breaking eaves at 1st floor, leaded diamond-pane glazing to centre window, 9-pane at left, 6-pane at right; 2 mutli-pane windows at 1st floor left return gable. Later 20th century single story bay at far left with four 12-pane windows, window and French window at left return gable, piended slate roof.

W ELEVATION: tower house at left with 2 top-hinged multi-pane windows at ground floor, sash and case with moulded architraves at 1st floor

(9 panes at bottom, 2 at top). Circa 1600 range at right; stairtower at left with 2 shot-holes at ground floor, casement window at 1st floor with moulded architraves, plain casement and shot-hole at upper level, ball-finialled conical roof; asymmetrical bay at right with 4 windows at ground floor of differing size and variety of glazing patterns. 6-pane window at 1st floor breaking eaves with cat-slide roof. Later 20th century addition at far right has door and 2 mutli-pane windows.

N GABLE: small window and gun loop at ground floor, 12-pane window at 1st with shouldered architrave and relieving arch.

INTERIOR: newel stairs entered unusually from corbelled inner segment of stair tower; various ashlar chimneypieces (with sway in former kitchen), exposed beams in hall and former kitchen (ground floor of original tower, also known as goblins hall), 1st floor ?laird?s room? above is lined with shutters and panelling from Fothringham House, Inverarity parish (David Bryce, 1859, demolished 1953),

BOUNDARY WALLS AND OUTBUILDINGS: rubble boundary walls at N, S, E and W, wall at NE has arrow slit and blocked aperture; rectangular-plan outbuilding at NE angle, likely to be contemporary with original tower, rubble built, stone slate roof, 2 doors and window at inner elevation and gable, window at outer elevation, privy adjoining with stone slab roof; rubble built larder with stone shelves and slab roof adjoins forestair to original tower.

Statement of Interest

Documentary evidence for the precise dating of the house has yet to be found although the extensive Murthly Castle Muniments (Fothringham family papers) probably contain pertinent information. Murroes house was built by the Fothringham family of Wester Powrie although it is thought unlikely ever to have been their principal residence. The family moved to Inverarity parish, probably during the 17th century and eventually built a house in circa 1740 which was demolished when Bryce built the new Fothringham House in 1859 (demolished 1953). By the 19th century, Murroes House was used by agricultural workers and eventually restored in the early 1940s by John and Lizzie Wilkie. The house is to be compared in type if not detail with Gagie House (from 1614) and the later part of Powrie Castle (circa 1604).

External Links

• Historic Environment Scotland Listing
• Wikidata Q17576022

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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