Documents

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The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  SM10364_Legal Doc

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600013634)

Summary

Description

The monument comprises the remains of two cave systems, visible as modified cavernous features containing upstanding architectural elements and entrances.

These caves represent the earliest surviving visible components of Castle Coif, the predecessor of Culzean Castle, a property of the Kennedy's dating back to the 12th century. The architectural elements of the caves can be attributed chiefly to the 16th century. Early records refer to the caves as containing two wells.

The monument consists of two cave systems: the Main Cavern System located below the castle and the Stables Caves System located beneath the stable block. Each consists of three main caverns.

The present entrance to the Main Cavern System is through an arched doorway at the base of the cliff at beach level. At the easternmost side of Cavern A, there is a probable 'toilet annex', referred to as 'the closet' in Brereton's diary account of his visit to the area (1636); the remains of the excavations of a trench and an underground conduit system can be seen. The latter leads northwards and down towards the entrance. A downward sloping narrow passageway, with the remains of a doorway present half-way down it, is located on the W side of Cavern A and leads into Cavern B.

Cavern B is at a higher level, and also has an external arched masonry doorway. Two rubble masonry piers within this cavern, probably designed by Robert Adams, were added to help support the weight of the new castle. When excavated (by the Glasgow Speleological Society), the floor below these pillars showed signs of disturbance, probably due to the builders incorporating paving slabs from the floor in the construction of the pillars. A trench excavated to the SW of these pillars revealed bones, shells and charcoal above the old level of the floor.

At the SW corner of Cavern B is a small doorway now only c.0.9m high due to a build up of rubble on the floor (possibly dumped in the caves during the demolition and re-building of the castle). This doorway leads into the Inner Cavern (C). On the lower, northern side of Cavern C there is a tunnel now blocked with rubble. This tunnel may have been an additional exit from Cavern C, either to the outside or to another cave system.

There may have been other access points to the Main Cavern System: to the E of the present entrance is a small chamber (D), the doorstep of which was located at c.0.9m below the present floor level. When Chamber D was excavated, the floor level was not reached even at a depth of c.1.5m, so it is possible that it was a stairwell with access to the beach now buried.

A collapsed arch situated above and to the W of the upper entrance (Cavern B) may have been the exit of a latrine or rubbish shute from the old castle, or part of the drainage system of the brewhouse wing.

The Stable Caves System has two entrances, the eastern one being a narrow passage with a man-made archway at the innermost end; the other is a wider entrance which opens out to become the outer cavern (A). At the back of this cavern to the SE is a narrow cave (D). A narrow passage to the W leads into the second cavern (B), while there is access to the innermost cave (C) from the SW, over boulders and rubble.

From Cavern B, access to Cavern C is from the SE, at the top of the steep clay banking. At the top of this slope, directly S, there is another opening partially blocked with rubble. This is probably the entrance to unexplored passages and caves, the extent of which is not known, but which are referred to in several historical records and traditions.

The caverns seem to have been used extensively and may even have been lived in at some time. These appear to be natural sandstone caves that have been modified and enlarged, primarily during the medieval period when they formed seaward entrances and storage for the earlier castle.

The areas proposed for scheduling comprise only the underground and cliff-face remains described, along with areas on the beach front within which related material may be expected to survive. The scheduled area of the Main Cavern System is irregular in shape, with maximum dimensions of 42m from the easternmost to the westernmost points, by 50.50m from the northernmost to the southernmost points, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

The scheduled area of the Stable Caves System is also irregular in plan, with maximum dimensions of 37m from the easternmost to the westernmost points, by 52m from the northernmost to the southernmost points, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

The scheduling includes the caves and associated passages to the height of their ceilings. The upper areas above the ceilings, up to and including the contemporary ground surface and all structures thereon, are excluded from the scheduling. The modern drainage pipes on the beach and cliff are also excluded from the scheduling.

Statement of National Importance

The monuments are of national importance as they represent the chief surviving visible remains of Castle Coif, the predecessor of Culzean Castle. They exhibit a complex pattern of modification and building, including some attributed to Robert Adam. The presence of deep stratified deposits, containing artefacts relating to the re-building of Culzean, indicate the potential of this monument to contribute to an understanding of the character and dynamics of medieval fortifications, and how these could be adapted within the development of the aristocratic county house.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.