Sundial, Garden, Carberry Tower

Sundial, Garden, Carberry Tower

Carberry Tower is a baronial mansion with a complex building history that evolved in an anti-clockwise progression from the north-west. The nucleus is a 16th century tower, probably pre-dating 1650, with a large extension to the south added in the late 17th century. The south range is largely attributed to the late 18th and early 19th centuries, while the east range was added by David Bryce around 1860, together with a single-storey billiard room to the north-west. Thomas Ross provided baronial details in 1909 and 1913, and Robert Lorimer carried out interior alterations in 1910. The building is constructed of rubble sandstone with ashlar dressings and some harl-pointing.

The tower itself is a three-storey rectangular structure of 16th century date, vaulted at ground and first floor levels. It has a substantial crenellated parapet with two gun loops, jettied on a cavetto course and embellished with winged cherub masques (similar to those at Stirling Castle). A rounded stair tower with a later turret and flat roof rises from the structure. At the west ground level, a buttressed rectangular ashlar porch with a parapet and round archway projects outward. A segmentally arched opening with a tripartite lancet window was inserted at the north ground floor, whilst a transomed bipartite window with a mannered lintel was inserted at first floor to the west. A wrought-iron fire basket is retained.

The 16th century additions comprise a substantial three-storey and attic L-plan extension to the south and east, featuring lower eaves, crowstepped gables and a corbelled stair turret to the east of the south-west tower. David Bryce later added a full-height canted bay to the west with an armorial, and a stone balustraded balcony.

The south range was built in two phases, continuing the 16th century additions eastwards. It is three storeys and attic in height with gabled wallheads. Hoodmoulds and crenellated parapets were added later. Thomas Ross's contributions comprised pepperpots, crowsteps, beak skewputts, and a stone bracketed oriel panel to the first floor window, complete with a dated (1913) carved armorial bearing his initials.

The east range, added by David Bryce around 1860, comprises two gabled bays at the south with three blinded windows, a slightly recessed bay flanking them, and gabled advanced bays to the north, rounded at ground level, corbelled to square above, and topped with pepperpot turrets.

The inner service court is closed by a single-storey 19th century range with a round archway to the pend in a gabled bay. A single-storey and attic service wing to the east projects three bays to the north with machinery doors at ground level and gabled dormerheads. A decorative pantry or larder with a French roof is marked by gabled louvred ventilators, cast-iron finials and decorative timber brackets to the overhanging eaves. The billiard room adjoins the north-east corner of the tower and is three bays long with steeply pitched window pediments to the west.

The doors to the porch feature two leaves with decorative cast-iron fittings. Wrought-iron tethering posts are present. Small-pane glazing patterns are retained in sash and case windows, with railings in addition to some ground floor windows. The roofing is of grey slates, with fish-scale slating to the Bryce pepperpots. Lead finials top the turrets, and barley sugar stacks adorn the later baronial blocks. Slate-hung gabled dormers have been added. Regrettably, black brick stacks have been added at the north. Decorative gutterheads and fixtures are retained at intervals.

Interior work was largely undertaken by Bryce and Robert Lorimer. The ground floor room of the vaulted tower serves as the entrance hall, featuring a strapwork plaster ceiling, 19th century oak wainscot panelling, a bolection moulded chimneypiece set in a recess, a cast-iron grate with dog irons, and panelled embrasures. The upper beacon room retains its ribbed vault with plaster corbels, a hooded stone chimneypiece with a cast-iron grate and decorative oriental tiles, and a bracketed timber gallery. A wide stairway features Jacobean newels, pendants and balustrade, with leaded tripartite landing windows containing 20th century stained glass armorial panels. Pairs of white marble classical chimneypieces with strapwork plasterwork and decorative cornices ornament the principal rooms. The library includes an organ by Hill of Edinburgh, dated 1910, and an ornately carved oak Jacobean chimneypiece bearing a panel of possible 17th century Flemish origin, with a bolection moulded ashlar surround to the fireplace.

Italian formal gardens to the south elevation are enclosed by squared and snecked sandstone terraces with square piers and ashlar coping, including a bowed section with a niche. A decorative wrought-iron gate is positioned to the east. Decorative bronze urns and stone lions are formally arranged throughout.

The principal sundial, dated to the 17th century with a 20th century shaft and obelisk finial, is positioned at the centre of the Italian garden. It is a polyhedral octagonal sundial, restored on lines suggested by MacGibbon and Ross in approximation of its probable original form, standing approximately six feet high. The pierced form of the dial and the raised detail of its faces are most unusual. A further important sundial, sited by the walled garden, was missing as of 1989.