Machermore Castle

Machermore Castle

Machermore Castle possibly dates from the late 16th to early 17th century in its original form, though earlier fabric may have been incorporated. The building underwent substantial Baronial remodelling in the late 19th century with further additions and alterations, and has received modern additions in more recent times.

The castle displays an asymmetrical plan. The main structure is four storeys tall, with the third floor breaking the eaves line. The original element consists of a square-plan tower, while the late 19th century work includes a garden elevation facing east. A three-storey addition with basement extends to the east, and a two-storey service wing with the first floor breaking the eaves is positioned to the north. The building is constructed in coursed rubble, lightly rendered on the original tower, with red sandstone ashlar dressings. Details include chamfered margins, ashlar mullions, smooth margin drafts and angle margins, stugged rybats and lintels, and long and short quoins.

The east (entrance) elevation is predominantly late 19th century work. A square entrance tower occupies the right side, with chamfered angles and corbelling that rises to a corbelled and crenellated parapet. The entrance itself features a roll-moulded segmental-arched doorway with a deep-set double-leaf door. Bipartite windows appear at the first and second floors. To the left, a slightly recessed gabled bay contains a corniced and crenellated canted window at ground floor, which continues down to the basement with a dividing band course and decorative cast-iron basement guard (now damaged). The first floor has a bipartite window, and the second floor a single window. A thistle-finalled gable, truncated by a circular bartizan to its left, features a window to the southeast and a conical roof. Behind the entrance tower sits a circular turret on the roof, with a south-facing window, eaves cornice, conical roof and weather vane. A terrace wall runs eastward from this elevation, adjoined to the left.

The north elevation features the entrance tower to the left with bipartite windows at ground floor and windows at basement, first and second floors. Above the wallhead at the northwest angle, the tower is chamfered and corbelled to square. A lower bay adjoins flush to the right, with a wall running north adjoined to the tower's left. A tripartite stair window with transom appears to the right, alongside two basement windows. A gabled jamb adjoins further right, forming an L-plan, with doors at basement level and windows at each floor. A dormerhead appears at the third floor on the left return. A two-storey service wing adjoins the north gable.

The south elevation displays four bays to the first floor and attic, with irregularly sized and irregularly disposed windows. The original tower occupies two bays to the left, its wallhead raised in the late 19th century. A late 19th century addition sits flush to the right, while a modern flat-roofed two-storey wing adjoins to the left. Four dormerheaded windows at the third floor are late 19th century additions.

The original tower on this elevation has two ground-floor windows to the right, three windows at first-floor level, and two at second-floor level. A circular bartizan (late 19th century addition) to the left features a southwest-facing window and conical roof, with a bartizan also to the right. A two-bay addition to the right contains a two-storey corniced and crenellated tripartite rectangular window bridging both bays, with a garden door and window above on the left return, and windows on the right return with a dividing string course. Bipartite windows appear at the second floor.

The west elevation presents a U-plan, formed by the original tower to the right and the service wing to the left. The original tower has a bartizan to its right at the west gable, with a window to the right of centre at the second floor, above the adjoining modern wing. A shouldered wallhead stack rises at the north return above a two-storey modern addition. Three bays extend westward: a nepus gable at centre with stack and bipartite window, a two-storey modern addition in the right bay, and regularly disposed fenestration with a bipartite window at the second-floor centre.

The service wing is a late 19th century structure now clasped by modern single-storey additions to the north, west and south. Two windows appear in the east gablehead, with a modern window inserted at ground level. Four dormerheaded windows occupy the north elevation, bipartite in the bay to the left of centre, with three later small windows inserted. Three dormerheaded windows face south, the left one converted to a door, with a ground-floor window to the right. Gablehead stacks and a centre stack feature coped skews. Windows include plate glass in sash-and-case frames, some retaining eight-pane glazing and others with modern replacements. The stair window retains coloured margins. Saw-tooth skews and coped stacks ornament the gablehead to the west and the ridge centre to the south roof. Fish-scale slates and leaded finials adorn the conical roofs, while graded grey slates cover the main roof. Some original rainwater goods survive.

A rubble terrace wall adjoins the southeast of the house, with a balustraded staircase descending to the garden to the south. The wall features red sandstone corniced coping and urns, though several urns are missing. A glasshouse adjoins the wall to the east of the staircase.