Hills Tower

Hills Tower is a 16th-century square towerhouse with later minor alterations, forming the south range of an enclosed square courtyard together with an adjoining 2-storey house built in 1723 by mason John Selchrig, and a gatehouse. The courtyard is enclosed by walls of various building dates.

The tower was probably constructed for Edward Maxwell soon after he was granted the lands of Hills in 1527. The upper works are of more ornamental character, probably dating to the late 16th or early 17th century and contemporary with the gatehouse. It is a 4-storey and attic building of square plan, built in rubble walling with dressed quoins. A heraldic panel above the door contains the arms of Edward Maxwell and Janet Carson. Large paired windows to the first and second floors are 1723 enlargements with chamfered jambs and 1930s glazing. Bands of chequered corbels support a slightly projecting wall-walk and small open angle-rounds or bartizans. Mock cannon gargoyles are placed just above the corbel course. The parapet wall has been much rebuilt and is now embattled. A hefty stack rises to the west gable. The east gable has a crowstepped small caphouse to the north-east over the stair. The roofs are slated.

The interior contains a newel stair in the north-east angle lit by slit windows. The ground floor has usual vaulted cellarage. The first floor hall features a depressed-arch fireplace flanked by depressed-arch presses. Most internal doors have roll-moulded jambs.

The adjoining house was built between 1721 and 1723 by John Selchrig, mason of Cairn. The contract specifies the taking down of an old house adjoining the tower and the building of a new residence on the site, re-using as much of the old materials as possible, together with certain alterations to the old tower. It is a 2-storey painted rubble house. The north elevation has an off-centre entrance with a heraldic panel, now blind, above it. There are 3 ground floor windows and 4 to the first floor (the westernmost now blocked), alternating with 3 heraldic panels. A date of 1721 is cut in a window lintel. The south elevation has a roll-moulded door to the extreme left, now blocked, 3 ground floor windows and one smaller stair window, and 5 first floor windows (one blocked). Window jambs are painted with mostly simple chamfers; the south ground floor has checked back jambs and re-cut chamfers. The windows are small-pane casements, with modern aluminium-framed 2-pane plate glass to the south first floor. There are end and centre coped axial stacks, end skews and skewputts. The roofs are slated. The interior has undergone superficial alterations including the blocking of fireplaces. The original kitchen is to the east, featuring a large fireplace and oven. The stairs were originally to the east of the centre gable but have now been renewed.

The gatehouse is probably late 16th or early 17th-century work similar in style to the upper works of the tower. It is a rubble-built gatehouse set in the west wall of the courtyard, with a round-arched roll-moulded gateway with decorative corbel bands. Behind is a depressed-arch pend with rebuilt voussoirs to the east. A corbel course sits over the arch, with a heraldic panel of Royal arms flanked by small shot-holes. Bands of miniature chequered corbels appear at the eaves. The gatehouse has sandstone skews and ridge and slate roofs. Access from the courtyard is originally by wheel stair, now by a rebuilt straight stair. The loft was possibly originally a dovecot.

The courtyard is enclosed by a high rubble wall with sandstone coping. Its age is uncertain, with much rebuilding and incorporation of pieces of earlier cut stones.

The towerhouse, gatehouse, 18th-century house and courtyard form an outstanding group. The gatehouse in particular is a unique and important example of its type. The surviving precise original contract for the construction of the 18th-century wing adds to the importance of these buildings.