Page:Archaeological Journal, Volume 5.djvu/59

Rh aside, and continuing nearly over the door. At Tretwr, there is a curious return in the staircase, so that it ascends over the entrance door.

Coningsburgh castle, one of the subjects of my communication, is situated on the summit of a considerable elevation, partly isolated by art, at a very short distance from the town, in the direction of the navigable river Dun. Its lofty keep (to which I confine my observations), rising picturesquely above the dense shade of surrounding trees, commands a beautiful view over the neighbouring country, and along the valley; and forms from far a conspicuous object. The base of the hill is surrounded by a deep ditch, the sides of which are steeply scarped, especially on the north-east. The summit, which is of some extent, is surrounded by a wall, enclosing an area of an irregular oblong form. At one extremity of this, built into the surrounding wall, is the massive and lofty keep tower of cylindrical form, flanked by semi-hexagonal turrets or buttresses of unusually massive character. The approaches to the castle appear to have been two; the main entrance towards the north-west, and a postern on the north-east, close adjacent to the keep which commands it. To the south-east, not very far below, runs the present turnpike road. In approaching by the principal entrance, the ditch, which is at a considerable distance from the walls, is crossed by a narrow raised causeway, whence a narrow passage between very high walls conducts directly up to the foot of one of the octangular towers, which flank the north-west extremity of the area. Here it turns to the right under the wall of the fortress, and separated from the ditch by another wall. Unfortunately the south-west side of the area is so far destroyed, that the foundations could not be made out without considerable difficulty. It will be seen that the entrance is remarkably strong, being completely commanded by the tower and wall.

The two flanking towers, one of which has just been mentioned, rise boldly on the edge of the abrupt slope; they batter considerably, and are very strong and massive, without windows, having no entrances as far as I could perceive from the ground level. These however might have been from the parapet of the boundary wall, and not observed by me in my hasty survey of this part.

The postern is very remarkable from its contrivance and