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Summary

Description

16th century tower house, with early 19th century wing adjoined to form farmhouse, and later 19th century porch and alterations; 18th century cottage, with later 19th century alterations, adjoined. 3-storey square-plan tower house; 2-storey gabled wing adjoined to S. Single storey cottage further adjoined to S. Harled. Painted margins to wing. Harled crowstepped gables. Harled crenellated pepperpot bartizans to SE, NE and NW angles of tower, each with cosmetic blind arrow slits.

E (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: tower to right; lower wing adjoined to left; 2-storey crenellated porch advanced at centre.

TOWER: canted window in crenellated bay (later 19th century) advanced at centre at ground floor; painted double string course below crenellated parapet. Window to left of centre at 1st floor, and to right of centre at 2nd floor. Blind square panel at centre in gablehead. Porch adjoined to outer left.

PORCH: boarded door, with decorative iron hinges, to E; flanking narrow lights, with decorative coloured glass in upper sashes; window above at 1st floor. Window at 1st floor to N return; crenellated bay (see above) adjoined below at ground floor. Window at ground floor to S return. Painted string course between floors and below crenellated parapet.

WING: porch adjoined to right. Window to both floors to left.

N ELEVATION: window at centre at ground floor, and to right of centre at 1st floor. Small window to left at 2nd floor. Blind square panel to right at eaves.

W ELEVATION: tower blank above adjoining steading range. Kitchen included in steading range to E, with window to N. Short length of crenellated wall adjoined to right of tower at 2nd floor. W return of wing to right; very small window to left; broad rubble lean-to adjoined to wing to right, with door to left and window to right.

S ELEVATION: wing adjoined to tower. Window to left to both floors to S gable of wing. Cottage (see below) adjoined to S of lean-to on W return of wing.

Sash and case windows; mainly 12-pane glazing, some 2- and 4-pane glazing. Harled gablehead stacks; to tower to E and W, to wing to S. Modern tiles to S pitch of tower, purple slates to N pitch and to wing. Several octagonal cans.

COTTAGE: painted rubble.

E (PRINCIPAL) ELEVATION: gabled bay at centre, with gable slightly raised above eaves; window at ground floor; glazed oculus in gablehead; ledge at eaves level, and bricked in gabled shape below oculus (former doocot?); base of former finial to gable. Canted projections to left and right; each with window to E and flanking blind side lights; catslide roofs from main pitch. Garden wall adjoined to left.

S ELEVATION: blank.

W ELEVATION: door, with letter-box fanlight, at centre. Window to left of centre. Machinery opening slapped to right.

N ELEVATION: adjoined to S of lean-to on W return of wing.

Sash and case windows; 2-pane upper sash and 4-pane lower sash glazing to E. 2 rubble ridge stacks, raised in brick, flanking centre. Purple slates to piended roof.

Painted brick crenellated garden wall to E. L-plan rubble steading to W, adjoined to W elevation of tower (see above).

Pair of square rubble piers, each surmounted by 4 red sandstone

square blocks, at road end. Curved rubble walls adjoined, linked to inner pair of squat circular conical-capped rubble piers.

Statement of Special Interest

The porch and canted window bay are not marked on the OS Map of 1847-48. Writing of Auchness Castle in 1896, Harper states that "in recent times, additions have been made so as to make it suitable as a dwelling for the tenant of the farm of Auchness". The tower house of Auchness is very similar to that at Killumpha (see separate listing).

References

Bibliography

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