Museum, Dunrobin Castle

A museum, dated 1732, originally a garden pavilion built for William, Lord Strathnaver, who later became Earl of Sutherland. The square, two-storey building sits on a raised basement and features a three-bay west frontage with a central door approached by a flight of steps; two-bay flanks also exist. The exterior is built of harl pointed rubble with polished ashlar dressings. A corniced doorpiece with a pulvinated frieze sits above the central door, and it is linked to the flanking windows by a lintel band and a cill band. A pulvinated string course runs above. The first-floor windows in the outer bays of the west frontage are linked by cill and lintel bands, with a central blind window containing an armorial plaque. The windows have 24-pane glazing, and rusticated quoins mark the corners. The roof is a shallow, pyramidal slate covering. A large brick extension is located at the rear. The pavilion is situated outside the walled garden, which is accessed via entrance and square ashlar gate piers with ball finials centred on steps leading to the garden house. The walled garden is enclosed by high, coped walls. A series of stone finials decorate the north length of the walls, below Dunrobin Castle, and flights of terraced steps lead up to the castle terracing. The south wall features further paired square ashlar gate piers with ball finials and an ornate pair of wrought and cast-iron gates.