Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/203

 NEIDPATH CASTLE 183 SECOND PERIOD NEIDPATH CASTLE, PEEBLESSHIHE. The picturesque castle of Neidpath, near Peebles, was for centuries the residence of the Hays of Yester. In 1654, the Earl of Tweeddale, a distinguished statesman, enlarged the building, erected stables and con- FIG. 147. Neidpath Castle. View from the North- West. structed fine terraced gardens, a few remains of which are still visible. The castle stands on a high projecting rock overhanging a sudden bend in the Tweed, which forms a deep pool at the base of the rock (Figs. 147, 148). This castle is built on the L plan, i.e. with a small wing at one side (Fig. 149). The peculiar shape of the plan, with walls at oblique angles, probably arises from the nature of the site. It has originally been a keep of great strength, the walls being over 10 feet thick. The original door (plan of basement floor) was on the most pre- cipitous side of the site, above the river. It entered on the ground level, and communicated with the upper floors by a turnpike stair in the wall. The partitions shown on the basement floor are not original. The tower