Boturich Castle

Boturich Castle is a castle designed by Robert Lugar in 1830, incorporating a 15th-century castle, with additions by Scott, Stephen and Gale in 1834, an octagonal entrance tower added in 1850, and late 19th-century remodelling. Built for John Buchanan of Ardoch, it was one of three castles Lugar designed in Dunbartonshire.

The main building is constructed of harling with sandstone margins and dressings, with a 3-storey, asymmetrical, rectangular-plan block.

The south (entrance) elevation consists of a long asymmetrical range. An octagonal entrance tower, advanced to the outer left and added in 1850, has a low machicolated crenellated parapet. At the centre stands a crenellated porch with canted arrises, featuring a 3-centred arch door with roll-moulded surround, hoodmould and armorial plaque above, with an inner half-glazed door. A slightly advanced oriel at first-floor level has a lead roof, with a window above. Narrow lancets flank the porch at ground level. To the right of the tower is a 3-bay recessed symmetrical block with a crenellated parapet and a tripartite window at the centre of the principal floor. Windows are symmetrically disposed at the first floor, with a narrow central window flanked by larger windows, and small basement windows. A 4-bay symmetrical recessed wing extends to the right, terminated by a round tower. The ground floors are harled while the attic floor is rubble. Small basement windows are asymmetrically disposed, with bays at the first and attic floors symmetrically arranged. Pedimented dormerheads sit at the upper floor. The round tower is harled with a small ground window and bell-cast roof. A small crenellated bridging turret stands between the tower and a recessed service and stable wing to the outer right.

The west elevation features a tower to the outer right and a crenellated block to the left with windows arranged from basement to upper floor, the main-floor window being the largest at 8-pane over 12-pane. A window sits at the upper floor outer right, small windows at ground left, and blank upper floors. A round tower displays a Gothick window and candle-snuffer roof glazed at the apex. A tall crowstepped gabled block is visible behind the parapet.

The north (rear) elevation has a 3-bay block to the outer right with larger windows. A tall, narrow crowstepped gabled block rises 4 storeys over a basement, with a tripartite basement window, two large principal-floor windows, a single first-floor window at the centre, and two small upper-floor windows to the outer left. A broad sandstone apex stack crowns it. A rubble crenellated screen wall bounds the service court to the left, with an early 20th-century flat-roofed, slate-hung block recessed behind, and the gable and adjoining wing of the service block visible.

Windows throughout are 4-pane, 12-pane and 16-pane timber sash and case designs. The roof is grey slate with lead flashings, broad coped ashlar wallhead and apex stacks.

The interior was not inspected as of 1996.

The service and stable block is a crowstepped gabled structure with ashlar at ground level and rubble at the upper floor. Its south elevation features a round-arched gate at the centre with incised voussoirs and a boarded door, a narrow pointed window above with an armorial plaque dated 1380 (possibly from an earlier building) above. An ashlar link wall connects to a pier pedestal with a narrow tall red sandstone gabled bellcote.

The east elevation displays three piend-roofed dormerheads symmetrically disposed at first-floor level, with 4-pane timber sash and case windows. Two round-arched carriage doors at ground level have boarded doors.

The north elevation presents a gable with two ground-floor windows, a cruciform vent at the gablehead centre, and a coped apex stack. A parapetted 2-bay block sits to the outer right. Windows are 4-pane, tudor-arched and 12-pane timber sash and case. The roof is grey slate with lead flashings and coped sandstone apex stacks.

A quadrant gateway to the north lodge consists of a stugged, squared and snecked quadrant wall with ashlar slab coping. Gate piers bear depressed conical caps with ball finials, with cast-iron gates.