Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/424

 THIRD PERIOD 404 THE DEAN CASTLE up, is distinctly visible in the east gable immediately above the doorway to the basement. The present entrance to the keep is by a flight of stone steps and a doorway on the south side, but these are clearly not original. The stone stair is of a more modern style of construction, and the south doorway has evidently been broken through what was originally a window, similar to that opposite it in the north wall. The slapping out of the lower part of the entrance, which has been lowered about 2 feet 6 inches, is roughly done, and the stone seats at each side still remain, like those of the window opposite, but are now upwards of 4 feet above the floor, in which position they are only intelligible on the supposition that they were originally in the bay of a window, the floor of which was at a higher level, like that in the north wall. Adjoining the original entrance to the keep is the newel staircase, which runs from the first floor to the roof, and gives access to the upper floors. On the north side of the narrow entrance passage there is a guard-room in the thickness of the wall, from which a man-hole gives entrance to the dungeon beneath. The latter is ventilated by means of a long narrow aperture sloping upwards in the north wall. The hall (Fig. 349) is a spacious apartment, 38 feet long by 22 feet wide, with a semicircular vault 26 or 27 feet in height (see Section). This height seems to have been entirely within the hall, and not to have been divided into two stories, as often happened. There are no corbels to carry an intermediate floor, and there is only one window in the upper part of the eastern wall, to which we shall refer immediately. The hall has a fireplace at the west or upper end, where also the two windows in the north and south walls are situated. This fireplace is unusually narrow, and seems to have been altered, probably at the time when the one below it in the basement was inserted. Some of the mouldings have been reversed, as pointed out by Mr. Galloway, which is a clear sign of alterations. There is a stone bench or seat running along each side of the hall (as at Linlithgow), and a curious detached bench in the south-west angle. The upper window recess above referred to is, we believe, correctly described by Mr. Galloway as a musicians' gallery. It has a stone seat all round the recess (see Plan, Fig. 349), and the window itself is placed several feet above the seat, so as to allow the light to pass over the heads of the performers (see Section). This gallery is entered by a narrow passage from the main staircase, and has a small mural closet on the north side, which would be useful for the reception of musical instruments, etc. The doors entering the window bay or gallery have their sills above the stone seat, so as not to break it up and diminish the sitting room. Similar musicians' galleries exist at Doune Castle and Mearns Tower. The floor above the hall (Plan and Section, Fig. 349) has been the upper hall or withdrawing-room. It contains an oratory or small chapel,