Fowlis Castle

Fowlis Castle is a tower house dating from around 1640. A north wing was added in 1862 by Hugh Robertson, with a further, slightly later, pentice-roofed extension to the north. The upper parts of the stair tower and an outshot chimney were restored around 1862. The castle is a three-story and attic rectangular plan tower house, alongside a conically-roofed stair tower and a massive, offset outshot chimney, representing the remains of a larger castle. A two-story and attic north wing created a T-plan layout.

The exterior is constructed of rubble, with irregular quoins. Chamfered ashlar margins define the original building, while the north wing features stugged dressings. The roof is slate-covered. The windows are mostly multi-pane sash and case with top-hopper openers, although some have been replaced with uPVC. Cream brick dormers are seen on the south side, while the north side has tile-hung dormers. The original building has a cavetto eaves course, and crowstepped gables with stacks and beak skewputts (masks on the east gable), while the north side exhibits shouldered stacks.

The south elevation features the advanced stair tower centrally to the left, with a door to the return. There are three small and one larger (later) stair windows. A corbelled eaves course runs along the top. The massive chimney is adjacent to the right, shouldered in three stages to the wallhead, with a shouldered stack above. Windows are present on the ground, first, and second floors, with an additional dormer. A small blocked opening is at ground floor far right, alongside further windows and a dormer.

The west elevation shows the original gable to the right, with a ground floor window featuring a date panel (Sir PKM 1862) above the lintel. The 1862 addition is recessed to the left and includes a pentice-roofed porch with a coped skew and mask skewputt, alongside a door, window, and a later bay.

The north elevation displays a single-story, pentice-roofed former cellar area with doors, one blocked. A central gable displays a cross motif and coped skews.

The east elevation features the original gable to the left and an out-of-character alloy door in a later addition.

Inside, the ground floor has a massive segmental-arched fireplace with an oven opening and original ceiling corbels. A chamfered doorway leads to the stairs. The first and second floors have been modernized, while the attic remains unpartitioned. The 1862 addition contains 19th-century chimney pieces, some with original decorative insets.