Gateway, Borthwick Castle

Borthwick Castle, dating to around 1430, is an extremely good example of a complete 15th century Scottish keep. It was built by Sir William Borthwick, who received a royal charter on 2 June 1430 to construct the castle on the site of the bailey, replacing the now demolished Catcune Castle as the Borthwick family seat. The site is thought to have originally contained a mote hill, which must have been levelled for the present building.

The castle is constructed in grey coursed ashlar and comprises a U-plan keep within a courtyard. The main block rises to three storeys with a basement, whilst two wings extend to six storeys with basements. The building features a splayed base course, chamfered reveals, and a machicolated parapet with bartizans at the external angles. Outer walls, gatehouse and parapet were restored by John Watherston and Sons around 1892.

The west elevation is slightly asymmetrical, displaying three bays with two projecting wings to the outer left and right, irregular fenestration to the outer bays (with blank inside returns), and roughly regular fenestration to the central recessed bay. The south elevation shows irregular fenestration. The east elevation displays irregular fenestration with some stonework missing from the upper floors; the parapet and angle bartizans have been removed. The north elevation is asymmetrical, featuring a round arched doorway at ground level leading to the basement with a boarded timber door, a quarter turn stone stair to the principal entrance at first floor, and a three storey square plan harled tower at the angle of the stair. A modern single storey, four bay snecked rubble addition with slate roof stands to the west of this tower. A round arched doorway to the first floor has a boarded timber door with decorative ironwork and a blank niche above, with irregular fenestration and an iron balcony to a large window to the left of the upper floor. Slit windows throughout, some enlarged, are present. The main block carries a stone slab roof, whilst the wings and cap houses behind the parapet have grey slate roofs (restored 1892–1914). A variety of ashlar stacks stand behind the parapet.

The outer walls and gatehouse comprise a roughly triangular outer wall, mainly rebuilt in 1892, of rubble with semi-circular coping. The base of the wall to the west is original and features wide-mouthed gun ports. A circular tower at the southwest angle retains original understoreys with horizontal gun ports; the upper storey dates to 1892 and is reached by steps within the courtyard. A round arched gateway with machicolated parapet, adjacent to the southwest tower on the west wall, dates to 1892 and occupies the site of the original. The wall sweeps down to the south, with a doorway with an iron door to the north.

The interior of the main range comprises three transverse tunnel vaults at the base, comprising the basement and upper basement, with a pointed vault above forming the Great Hall. A 15th century wall piscina with carved canopy sits to the right of the north screen wall, and a round arched doorway to the left leads to a stair to a timber mezzanine added in 1892 above. A fireplace to the south of the hall features a carved lintel supported by double engaged columns with carved capitals, with an armorial shield set in a pyramidal hood dated 1913. A depressed arched buffet or seat recess to the left of the west wall has a 15th century carved canopy. The tunnel vault above the great hall is divided into two storeys: the lower comprises a drawing room with a grand fireplace and a chapel with a round arched oratory recess containing a locker and piscina, whilst the vaulted room above is accessed by a stair in the northeast corner of the main range. The north and south wings contain turnpike service stairs within the walls of the re-entrant angles and comprise primarily service quarters and bedrooms. A well occupies the basement of the south jamb, whilst a prison in the north jamb has a kitchen above.

The castle has had a colourful historical record. In 1567, Mary, Queen of Scots and Lord Bothwell fled here from Holyroodhouse after he 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 has been attributed to various causes, from simple decay (thought unlikely given the good condition of the remainder of the building) to the suggestion that around 1650 the 10th Lord Borthwick refused to leave the castle when requested to do so by Oliver Cromwell, with the damage that remains being a result of this confrontation. As a consequence, no member of the Borthwick family inhabited the castle until 1810 when J. Borthwick of Crookston repurchased it, though restoration did not commence until the end of the 19th century. The castle was employed during the Second World War as a store for national treasures. Since 1973 it has been used as a hotel.

The interior of the castle remains with little alteration, though the rooms, particularly the great hall, would originally have been plastered and colourfully painted with allegorical scenes and motifs, with inscriptions including "ye tempil of honour" and "ye tempil of religion" which no longer survive. There was once an oblong 17th century dovecot projecting from the southeast angle of the curtain wall, and a tower midway along the south wall, both now demolished. The north section of the courtyard would probably have contained stables and outbuildings. The unusual U-plan of the building appears to have provided more than simply additional accommodation. Around 1892, the gate was replaced because it was too low for modern vehicles, and the gatehouse was raised by one floor.