Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/539

 BISHOP'S PALACE 519 THIRD PERIOD the storeroom above mentioned under some of the buildings. It seems to have formed a connection between the palace and the abbey, with occasional openings to the surface for ventilation. Several branches radiate from this subway, and there is a central vaulted chamber where these passages meet, one connecting with the abbey, another with the storerooms, and the third with the western extremity of the palace. After the time of Charles u. the palace was allowed to fall into decay. BISHOP'S PALACE, KIRKWALL, ORKNEY. The ancient Bishop's palace at Kirkwall is situated on the south side of the Cathedral, from which it is distant about 30 yards. Between it and the Cathedral is the churchyard and a public street. Entering from the latter the approach to the palace was by an archway about 7 feet 4 inches wide through an enclosing wall. This wall and archway are now removed, the latter being built into a broken part of the south side of the palace wall, about 30 feet from its north end. The palace is a long narrow building (Fig. 446), partly in ruins and partly inhabited. The ruinous part is 109 feet long by 27 feet 6 inches wide, with a large projecting round tower about 27 feet 6 inches diameter, at the north-west corner. The inhabited portion is 57 feet long, and beyond this the structure has extended at least other 15 feet. Thus the total length of the building has been about 196 feet. Such a long, narrow plan is unusual in a building standing alone. It seems quite likely that it formed one side of a quadrangle, or of an intended quadrangle. The ground on the west front is lower than the street level on the east side, thus admitting of an arched cellar floor on the lower level entering by the round tower. Above this, in the ruined part, there are two stories and an attic floor, while the round tower, with its square chamber on top, contains five stories, the ground floor being up a few steps above the floor of the main range. The building is entirely empty inside, with neither floors nor roof. A view of the south front is given by Billings, in which are seen two round arched openings, now built up, with a square central pillar. The position of these may be seen on plan (Fig. 446). This was in all probability the passage into an entrance hall, which would have doors leading off it on either hand. Above this entrance, and resting on the pillar, is the corbelling of a fine ruined oriel, semi-octagonal on plan ; and on the opposite side, indicated by dotted lines on plan, is a semi- circular oriel, also seen on view (Fig. 447). From these it will be seen that there is a great similarity in detail to the Earl's palace adjoining, although this palace dates about sixty years earlier. There is a narrow