Borthwick Castle

Borthwick Castle

Built circa 1430, Borthwick Castle is an exceptional example of a complete 15th-century Scottish keep. It was commissioned by Sir William Borthwick, who purchased the estate in 1430 and received a royal charter to build the castle on 2 June of that year. The castle replaced the now-demolished Catcune Castle near Harvieston House as the Borthwick family seat. It is believed that a mote hill originally occupied the site and was levelled to accommodate the present castle, which was built on the site of the bailey.

The building follows a U-shaped plan within a courtyard. The main block is three storeys with a basement, constructed of grey coursed ashlar with a splayed base course and chamfered reveals. Two wings, each six storeys with a basement, project from the outer angles. The parapet is machicolated with bartizans on the external angles. The outer walls, gatehouse, and parapet were restored by John Watherston and Sons circa 1892.

The west elevation is slightly asymmetrical, with three bays and two projecting wings to the outer left and right. The outer bays have irregular fenestration with blank returns on the inside, while the central recessed bay has roughly regular fenestration. The south and east elevations feature irregular fenestration. The east elevation shows missing stonework on the upper floors, and the parapet and angle bartizans have been removed from this side. The north elevation is asymmetrical, with a round-arched doorway at ground level leading to the basement, fitted with a boarded timber door. A quarter-turn stone stair leads to the principal entrance at first floor level. A three-storey square-plan harled tower occupies the angle of the stair. A modern single-storey, four-bay snecked rubble addition with slate roof stands to the west of the tower. A round-arched doorway at first floor level, fitted with a boarded timber door with decorative ironwork, opens from this section. A blank niche sits above the door, and irregular fenestration extends across the elevation, with an iron balcony serving a large window on the upper floor.

Windows include slit openings, some of which have been enlarged. The main block has a stone slab roof, while the wings and cap houses behind the parapet are roofed with grey slate (restored 1892-1914). A variety of ashlar stacks stand behind the parapet.

The outer walls and gatehouse form a roughly triangular enclosure, mainly rebuilt in 1892 from rubble with semi-circular coping. The base of the western wall is original and retains wide-mouthed gun ports. A circular tower stands at the south-west angle, with original understoreys containing horizontal gun ports; the upper storey, built in 1892, is accessed by steps within the courtyard. The round-arched gateway with machicolated parapet, adjacent to the south-west tower on the west wall, was reconstructed in 1892 on the site of the original. The wall sweeps down to the south, with a doorway fitted with an iron door on the north side.

Interior

The main range contains three transverse tunnel vaults at the base, comprising basement and upper basement, with a pointed vault above forming the Great Hall. A 15th-century wall piscina with carved canopy stands to the right of the north screen wall. A round-arched doorway to the left provides access to a stair leading to an 1892 timber mezzanine above. The south side of the hall features a fireplace with a carved lintel supported by double engaged columns with carved capitals. An armorial shield set in a pyramidal hood above reads "1913". A depressed arched buffet or seat recess with a 15th-century carved canopy appears on the left of the west wall.

Above the Great Hall, the tunnel vault is divided into two storeys. The lower comprises a drawing room with a grand fireplace and a chapel containing a round-arched oratory recess with a locker and piscina. A vaulted room occupies the storey above. A stair in the north-east corner of the main range provides access between levels.

The north and south wings contain turnpike service stairs within the walls of the re-entrant angles. These wings were primarily used for service quarters and bedrooms. A well in the basement of the south jamb and a prison in the north jamb (with a kitchen above) complete the utilitarian spaces.

The interior of the castle remains largely unaltered. The rooms, particularly the Great Hall, would originally have been plastered and decorated with colourful painted allegorical scenes and motifs, including inscriptions reading "ye tempil of honour" and "ye tempil of religion", which no longer survive.

Historical Significance

Sir William Borthwick, who purchased the estate including the Mote of Lochorwart from the Hays of Lochorwart (now Loquhariot, the name of a nearby farm), was instrumental in the castle's creation. It is thought there was originally a mote hill on the site, which was levelled for the present castle.

The castle's U-shaped plan appears to have served purposes beyond merely providing additional accommodation. The building has played a significant role in Scottish history. In 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Bothwell fled to Borthwick from Holyroodhouse after Bothwell had killed her husband. When their hiding place was discovered, Mary is said to have escaped dressed as a man.

The large gash visible in the east wall of the castle may result from simple decay, though this seems unlikely given the good condition of the rest of the building. An alternative suggestion points to circa 1650, when the 10th Lord Borthwick reportedly refused Oliver Cromwell's request to leave the castle, with the damage remaining as evidence of this confrontation. As a consequence of this incident, no member of the Borthwick family inhabited the castle until 1810, when J. Borthwick of Crookston repurchased it. Restoration work did not begin until the end of the 19th century.

The castle once featured an oblong 17th-century dovecot projecting from the south-east angle of the curtain wall and a tower mid-way along the south wall. The north section of the courtyard would originally have contained stables and outbuildings. Around 1892, the gatehouse was heightened by one floor because the original gate was too low for modern vehicles.

In the 20th century, Borthwick proved sufficiently secure to serve as a store for national treasures during the Second World War. Since 1973, the castle has operated as a hotel.