Dovecot, Megginch Castle

Dated 1807, the stables at Megginch Castle incorporate an earlier range to the east. The stables form a quadrangular courtyard with a polygonal dovecot, an M-gabled screen wall and gatepiers, and a hall closing the southern elevation. The original stables comprise a single storey and loft, with an 8-bay rubble range to the north and a 3-bay range to the west. The 8-bay east wing is of brick, with a piended roof and has since been converted. A taller, earlier single-storey rubble and brick range stands to the south, also piended. Openings are pointed and ogee-arched.

The south elevation of the north range features a slightly advanced crowstepped gable in the centre, containing a two-leaf part-glazed timber door with a deep fanlight. A clock is set in the gablehead and the finial is carved with “19 RD 07”. Windows are located in the flanking bays, with glazed cinquefoil loft openings between them. A door is situated to the outer right. The west elevation of the east range has a two-leaf door in the centre bay, two windows to the right and a narrow door beyond; a window is to the left of the centre with a door to the left of that, another window in the penultimate bay to the left, and a further door on the outer left. Loft openings are glazed with cinquefoils, except in the outer right bay which has a small rectangular window. The east elevation of the west range features a piended roof with broad cart arches to the centre and left (the latter under a sloping roof), and a single window to the right. The north elevation of the south range includes a former storehouse, now converted into a hall, and is built with a raised brick facing. It features three ogee-headed windows, a square-headed window (formerly ogee), and a hayloft opening.

Multi-pane diamond pattern glazing is used throughout, with decoratively-astragalled windowheads, doorheads and cinquefoils. The roofs are covered with grey slates, and the ridge stacks are of coped ashlar with diamond-aligned patterns and oversized thackstanes.

The hexagonal dovecot has two stages, with an open-pointed arch arcade to the lower stage and a bellcast roof with broad eaves and an ironwork galleon finial. It is constructed of roughly coursed rubble with ashlar margins and some droved quoins, featuring Gothic-arched openings. A broad-arched opening faces south, with a row of small flightholes (the central one being larger), partially rendered. Diamond-shaped openings with diamond-pattern leaded glazing are on the flanking faces. A narrow opening with a boarded timber door and a decoratively-astragalled windowhead is on the north side; the flanking faces have a similar diamond glazing pattern.

The M-gabled screen wall is of rubble, featuring a central timber door to the east and a smaller gable to the south adjoining polygonal, finialled ashlar gatepiers at the southeast.