Delgatie Castle

TOWER HOUSE: 1570-79, L-plan, 69' x 41' main jamb 4-storey

(ground floor has dungeon mezzanine) and attic, wing 5-storey

and cape-house. Harled, wing retains corbelled ashlar parapet

with bartizans, upper part of main jamb has crowstepped gables,

perhaps as result of late change of plan, or perhaps as result

of repairs in 1597 following damage in 1594. Interior: main jamb

has entrance passage with groin vaulted vestibule at original

entrance on E side, main part vaulted in 2 compartments, hall

in S, guard room and dungeon over in N; circular turnpike stair

centre of S side; wing vaulted in one compartment. 1st floor; rib-vaulted solar in wing, hall remodelled as ballroom c 1830,

North Drawing Room about same date; Tulip Room and Painted Room

at 2nd and 3rd in wing have painted ceilings of 1597, Tulip Room

retains beams only.

N re-entrant angle infilled at ground and 1st floors 18th

century further 2nd and 3rd floor additions 19th century,

baronial S porch and ballroom bay window c 1850, perhaps by

A & W Reid.

WINGS: semi-elliptical rusticated arches probably c 1768,

originally open, perhaps as in-and-out gates for courtyard,

now removed; extended as fanciful symmetrical gothick

composition later 18th century, 2 single-storey wings with

3 ogee-headed windows having cross finials, dining-room (also

known as 'The Chapel') W wing, kitchen in E wing; short

screen walls with buttresses, pinnacles, gablet and gothic

arch terminate composition; W screen has dummy doocot, and

is extended by further concave-gabled screen wall into which

late mediaeval tomb recess and other fragments are incorporated.

Circa 1850 dining room S frontage rebuilt as 3-window bow,

kitchen wing raised to 2-storey with battlemented parapet, and

addition built behind E screen wall, perhaps later.