Whittingehame Tower

Whittingehame Tower is a late 15th to early 16th century L-plan tower house. A single-storey wing was probably added to the west in the early 19th century, along with further alterations. A two-storey projection was added to the south in 1964. The tower house has a cap-house and is characterised by a deep, corbelled and crowstepped parapet with water spouts. The construction is primarily red rubble sandstone, with harled brick used in the 1964 addition. Windows have chamfered arrises, and small-pane glazing in sash and case form. Grey slates cover the roof.

The tower’s eastern side has a stair jamb and a doorway with a roll and cavetto surround. The lintel incorporates a shield displaying the arms of the Douglases of Whittingehame. Small, irregular stair windows are positioned above the doorway, and a gunloop is situated under the parapet. Further blind gunloops are on the north side. The north elevation contains two hoodmoulded windows dating to the early 19th century at the first floor, with a smaller, earlier window above. A 1964 addition is located on the south elevation and connects to an early 19th century wing at the southwest corner. The west elevation features a hoodmould and a small square window at centre. It also incorporates a pointed-arch window at ground level, likely from the early 19th century, with a blind gunloop above and a window under the parapet, which has been recently repaired. Crowstepped gables define the cap-house, with gable-end stacks and a diminutive cap-house positioned above the stair jamb.

The west wing is a single-storey, flat-roofed structure extending westward, adjoined to the southwest corner of the tower, likely altered in the early 19th century and incorporating earlier walls. It was formerly topped with a crenellated parapet. The north elevation is blank with a dagger carved into one stone. The south elevation has seven hoodmoulded windows, with the penultimate window to the right altered into a doorway featuring French windows. A moulded eaves cornice is present on the north elevation, and a drum stack has been recently altered.

The south addition extends two bays deep and features irregular windows with gabled dormerheads breaking the eaves of the first floor. A doorway is located on the south gabled elevation.

The tower’s interior includes a barrel-vaulted ground floor, which is white-washed. The first-floor drawing room contains an outstanding, recently restored, 17th century strapworked plaster ceiling adorned with heraldic, mystical, and fertility symbols set within naturalistic borders. The interior also showcases 17th century woodwork and a wall recess (servery), with egg and dart enrichment to the doors, probably dating to the later 17th century.

A white stone circular wellhead with acanthus carving, worked at the corners to support a moulded square surround, sits on an octagonal base. It is complemented by a decorative wrought-iron overthrow. An octagonal stone columnar sundial, set on a stepped octagonal base, is also present, featuring blind quatrefoil carving on the pedestal and blind Y-tracery moulding to the shaft, with acanthus moulding to the wider neck and table cornice.