Southside Castle

Southside Castle

A traditional L-plan towerhouse built between 1640 and 1644, with substantial later alterations. The original structure is 3 storeys high (originally 4), constructed from sandstone rubble with slaister pointing. It features narrow angle turrets corbelled at the 1st floor. Later additions, including a north-east 2-storey wing, have created a T-plan configuration. These additions use tooled, snecked rubble with stugged and chamfered ashlar surrounds.

The south elevation is partly obscured by staircase and porch additions in the re-entrant angle. It displays a single ground floor window, mullioned bipartite windows at the 1st and 2nd floors, and crowstepped gableheads. The right return features a mullioned bipartite window with crowstepped gablehead at the 2nd floor. A gabled porch rises from the right return with an ashlar principal elevation containing a roll-moulded doorway and arched timber doorframe. Advanced ashlar coping with skewputts tops the gable. An advanced 2-storey crowstepped staircase addition to the left includes a moulded chamfer stop to the quoin and roll-moulded band course forming a hoodmould to the window. The right return has a gabled dormer breaking the eaves with a blank plaque above. An advanced wing to the outer right features a 1880s tripartite box window. Various blocked openings appear in the south gable wall. Two angle turrets to the south wall have an ashlar eaves course and a single square window in each turret.

The west elevation includes a door to the right and a modern glazed conservatory with an asphalt monopitch roof. A single window at the 1st floor sits to the left, with two inscribed stones above bearing the marks 'PE AC' and 'PE.AC.1640.4', indicating Patrick Ellis (or Eleis) of Plewlands and his wife. A blocked window stands to the right. Two angle turrets flank the gable with ashlar eases course and single square windows at the 1st and 2nd floors in each turret. The crowstepped gable wallhead is topped by an apex chimney stack.

The north elevation displays irregular ground floor fenestration beneath an off-centre crowstepped timpany gable. A corniced double chimney stack rises at the apex, with 2 mullioned bipartite rectangular windows at the 1st and 2nd floors aligned below the timpany gable. Blocked windows appear in the right bay and a blocked window slit in the left bay. A 2-storey, 3-bay wing to the left has a glazed door and 2 single windows to the right, with 3 catslide dormer windows aligned above at the 1st floor. A single storey addition extends to the far left.

The east elevation features raised skews to the far right gable, which displays a crowstepped profile with an apex chimneystack belonging to the 2-storey wing. An advanced porch to the door has raised skews and a single light in the right return. Two ground floor flanking windows sit to the right, with a window featuring a catslide dormer above the door. An advanced curve of stairtower appears to the left of the porch, with a blocked ground floor window and corbelled storey above containing a 1st floor window. The coped gablehead includes skewputts. A mullioned bipartite window and blocked opening above sit on the east elevation of the towerhouse. A corbelled, curved protrusion of the staircase extends to the right of the window, with voussoirs of a blocked arched opening below. The crowstepped gable wall to the towerhouse is topped by an apex stack.

Glazing is varied throughout. The original towerhouse features predominantly narrow rectangular 6-pane timber sash and case windows, while additions contain 12-pane timber sash and case windows. Some interior shutters remain. Grey slate roofs cover the towerhouse, with grey slate pepperpot turret roofs capped in lead and finished with ball finials. The additions are roofed in purple slate.

The interior includes a vaulted ground floor room to the north of the original towerhouse, now partitioned into 2 rooms. A large fireplace occupies the north-east corner, and meat hooks remain in the ceiling. The splayed window reveals demonstrate the thick walls of the original structure. A marble plaque in the porch bears Lothian initials and a rising sun emblem, similar to a plaque at Newbattle Abbey.

The boundary wall consists of cut rubble with curved and ridged capping stones surrounding the garden, adjoining field, and garden partitions. Square piers with pyramidal coping stones mark the field entrance. The driveway entrance is defined by 2 chamfered and panelled square piers on square bases, topped with corniced pyramidal coping stones.