Ayton Castle

Ayton Castle

A substantial Scots Baronial house built in phases between 1845 and 1875. The principal architect was James Gillespie Graham, who designed the main structure from 1845 to 1851. David Bryce extended the drawing room, added a billiard room, and extended the family wing in 1860 to 1861. James Maitland Wardrop raised the family wing, added a smoking room, and extended the dining room, billiard room, kitchen wing and stable yard between 1864 and 1867. Extensive redecoration was carried out by Bonnar & Carfrae in 1873 to 1875.

The building is asymmetrical, with 2-, 3- and 4-storey sections with attic, comprising 15 bays at ground level. The irregular plan includes a 3-storey entrance block at centre, a 4-storey with attic near square-plan "great tower" recessed to the right, a 2-storey L-plan range to the outer right, a 2-storey near rectangular-plan range recessed to the left of centre, a single storey former coach house projecting to the left, and a 2-storey with basement rectangular-plan range adjoined to the outer left with screen walls obscuring lower service wings to the front.

The building is constructed of squared and snecked tooled red sandstone with sandstone ashlar dressings. It features a base course, corbelled eaves with rope-moulded corbelling to turrets, crenellated parapets, and crowstepped gables. The stonework includes stugged quoins and stugged long and short surrounds to chamfered and roll-moulded openings, stop-chamfered sandstone mullions, and moulded cills.

The northwest entrance elevation is dominated by a symmetrical entrance tower with a segmental-arched panel recessed at ground level. A 2-leaf boarded timber door is centred within, decorated with iron bolts and decorative hinges, and surrounded by a basket arch incorporating a coat-of-arms. Narrow side-lights flank the door. Stop-chamfered single storey pilasters project to the outer left and right, with a projecting window aligned at 1st floor level. Two segmental-arched windows at 2nd floor have continuous hoodmoulds breaking the eaves. A coat-of-arms is centred in the crowstepped gable, surmounted by a stack.

To the right of the entrance is a full-height recessed projection with single windows at both floors, followed by a 2-storey block in a re-entrant angle with similarly placed windows. The irregularly fenestrated 4-storey with attic "great tower" recessed further to the right features a single window centred in a crowstepped cap-house and conical-capped corner turrets. A 2-storey L-plan range extends to the right with a gabled projection to the outer right, comprising single windows at ground and 1st floors offset to left and right of centre respectively, an attic light in the crowstepped gable, a surmounting stack, and conical-capped corner turrets.

To the left of the entrance, a 2-storey 2-bay range is recessed with a 3-light glazing row in a single storey projection at ground level featuring continuous arched hoodmoulds, and single windows in both bays recessed at 1st floor. A regularly fenestrated 2-storey 3-bay range (4-bay at 1st floor) extends further left with a gabled bay projecting to the outer left. The former coach house projects to the left with a segmental-arched opening centred at ground, a carved panel above, and mounting steps to the right. A 5-bay block adjoined to the outer left features gabled windows breaking the eaves at 1st floor with carved motifs in finialled gableheads. A square-plan bell tower to the northwest corner has a pyramidal-capped sandstone belfry with a bell in place. Lower service blocks adjoined to the front are obscured by the courtyard wall.

The southeast rear elevation is dominated by a 4-storey with attic 2-bay "great tower" offset to the left of centre, with single windows in both bays at ground, 1st and 2nd floors. A projecting window is centred at 3rd floor, with small attic lights in the crowstepped cap-house, a surmounting stack, a conical-capped turret to the southwest corner, and an open turret to the northeast.

An irregularly fenestrated 2-storey 2-bay range is recessed to the left with a boarded timber door at ground to the outer right, decorated with iron bolts and decorative hinges, a basket-arched surround, and a carved panel above dated 1848. A gabled projection to the outer left features a tripartite window centred at ground, single windows in both bays at 1st floor, an attic light centred in the crowstepped gable, a surmounting stack, and conical-capped corner turrets.

A 2-storey block projects to the right of the tower with a tripartite window centred at ground, single windows in flanking corners, and single windows in both bays at 1st floor, with a corbelled parapet and open corner turrets.

A 2-storey originally 2-bay range recessed to the right features a segmental-arched window at ground in the bay to the left, with a later projection obscuring the bay to the right, and single windows in both bays at 1st floor. A coat-of-arms is centred in the crowstepped gable with a surmounting stack.

A further 2-storey originally 2-bay range to the right has a 4-light glazing row in a single storey projection at ground, with single windows in both bays recessed at 1st floor and a conical-capped corner turret to the outer right.

A lower 2-storey wing recessed to the right features a single window centred at 1st floor and a single window at ground in a single storey projection to the front, with a blocked segmental-arched basement opening below.

A 2-storey 2-bay gabled wing recessed further right has arched windows in both bays at ground, single windows aligned at 1st floor, a stack surmounting the crowstepped gable, and open corner turrets.

A single storey with basement and attic irregular-plan range continues to the right with a tripartite window centred in a gabled wing projecting to the outer right and a small attic light centred in the crowstepped gable, with a surmounting stack.

An irregularly fenestrated service wing recessed to the right is accompanied by a taller block set behind with gabled dormers breaking the eaves, and a single storey range adjoined to the outer right.

Throughout the building, windows are 4-, 8- and 12-pane timber sash and case. The roofs are grey slate with crowstepped skews. Predominantly corniced sandstone apex stacks (some ridge stacks) have predominantly octagonal cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods are regularly spaced with sandstone water-spouts.

The interior was not seen at the time of inspection in 1998 but retains Bonnar & Carfrae's 1875 scheme featuring plaster strapwork ceilings in the dining room, drawing room and library, and a painted ceiling to the entrance hall. Timber dado panelling and decorative cornices are present throughout, with timber panelled doors. Various fireplaces are located throughout. The smoking room features timber panelling with a painted comb, dating to 1865 and designed by James Maitland Wardrop.

To the northeast is a service courtyard containing various service blocks, including a single storey L-plan range to the north with a gabled block to the west and a single storey rectangular-plan office to the southeast. Ball-finialled square-plan gatepiers flank the inner courtyard to the south.

The courtyard walls comprise tall squared and snecked tooled red sandstone with harl-pointed rubble to inner elevations. The northeast wall has plain coping, while the remainder features crenellated parapets. A large segmental-arched opening opens to the northeast.

Rampart walls with moulded coping enclose a terraced garden to the south, with crenellated parapets in part. Stone stairs link the terraces. Circular-plan corner turrets feature crenellated parapets and iron gates. A stone stair linking the gardens to front and rear comprises square-plan coursed sandstone pyramidal-capped newels, solid balustrades, stone treads, and hooped iron gates.