Tower O' Ess

Probably George Truefitt, late 19th century. 3-storey and basement, single bay, square-plan folly tower. Ladder-snecked pink and grey granite above dark grey granite at ground floor, with rough-faced long and short dressings finely finished to margins. Battered base course; projecting cills; corbelled, flat-coped parapet.

W (ENTRANCE) ELEVATION: asymmetrical; small-pane, glazed timber door to right of ground floor, flanked to left by window. 1st and 2nd floors blank.

N ELEVATION: not seen 1998.

E ELEVATION: asymmetrical; regular fenestration off-centre to left of basement, ground and 1st floors; narrow vertical windows off-centre to right between 1st and 2nd floors; 2nd floor blank. Circular angle turret to SE corner of parapet, narrow vertical window, modern roof.

S ELEVATION: asymmetrical; window off-centre to right of ground floor; narrow vertical window off-centre to left between ground and 1st floors; 1st floor blank; window to centre of 2nd floor.

Modern timber casement windows with top hoppers. Flat roof, lead with wooden duck boards; grey painted fibreglass roof to turret. Wallhead stack to N with circular cans. Cast-iron rainwater goods.

INTERIOR: not seen 1998.

GATEPIERS AND BOUNDARY WALLS: rough-faced polychrome granite walls with rough-faced coping to N and W of tower, steps to bowed lookout to NE. 2 square-plan, rough-faced, polychrome granite gatepiers to W, corniced with pyramidal caps; circular inset panels with tooled thistle, shamrock, rose and monogram WCB (William Cunliffe Brooks). Gatepier to far W set in granite coped wall, tooled panel to N reading "BRIDGE O'ESS miles to Bridge of ABOYNE 1?, DINNET 3?, BALLATER 9?".