Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/355

 liALVAIRD CASTLE - 335 - THIRD PERIOD family, sacred to the memory of himself, and as a future memorial of his posterity, as also an amusing recreation for friends, guests, and visitors, this fountain in the form of a castle, this dial with its retinue of goddesses, and this garden with its buildings, walls, and quadrangular walks, surrounded with stones piled on high, rocks having been on all sides deeply cut out, which inconveniently covered the ground. " Whosoever thou art who comest hither, we, so many half-fiendish spectres, are placed here lately by order, expressly for bugbears to the bad, so that the hideous show their visages, lest any meddling, evil-disposed person, should put forth his hand on the dial or garden. We warn robbers to depart, burglars to desist, nothing here is prey for plunderers ! For the pleasure and enjoyment of spectators are all these placed here ; but we, who rather laugh with joyous front, to a free sight we bid frankly the kind and welcome friends of the host. Boldly use every freedom with the Master, the dial, the garden, and with the garden-beds and couches him for friendship and conversation, them for the recreation of the mind and thought. With ordinary things to content us here, is to be even with others we envy not their better things." The width of the fountain at the base is. . G ft. 1 1 in. Greatest width at water troughs,. . . 8 ft. 3 in. Height from ground to top of do.,. . . 2 ft. 3 in. Do. to top of cornice,. . (> ft. 11^ in. Height of dial and shaft from top of cornice, . 5 ft. 2 in. Total height of fountain, . . . .12ft. liin. The plan of the foundation is taken immediately above the water troughs. BALVAIRD CASTLE, FIFESHIRE. Balvaird Castle, in Fifeshire, stands at the top of Glen Farg, on the boundaries of Perthshire and Fifeshire, and from its lofty site it commands a fine view over the valley of the Eden and the Lomonds of Fife. It is a fifteenth-century keep, and presents a fine and rather advanced specimen as regards its planning and arrangements. It is of the common L plan (Fig. 287), but the entrance and staircase, instead of being inserted in the thickness of the wall, have a special turret provided for them in the re-entering angle. A wider and better staircase is thus obtained than under the old plan of carrying the staircase up in the thickness of the wall. The ground floor is vaulted, and contains the usual stores, with sleep- ing loft above. The joists of the sleeping loft, with an ashlar wall supporting them, are still preserved. Descending from a wall chamber