Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 1.djvu/566

 THIRD PERIOD 546 MORTON CASTLE towers still rearing their front in the midst of the wild and desolate moor, and above the chill waters of the tortuous lake, is most unlooked- for and impressive. PIG. 465. Morton Castle. Plan. The castle (Fig. 465) consists of an oblong block presenting a front wall 92 feet long facing the south, and was fortified with a round tower at the south-east angle, about one half of which still remains, while at the south-west angle was the gateway, placed between two large towers circular to the outside and square within. The eastern of these two towers still stands, but the western tower, together with the arched gateway and entrance passage, have been demolished. The foundations of the western tower, however, still partly remain, so that when laid down on plan it is easy to see what the completed arrange- ment originally was. One jamb of the entrance gateway and a few of the arch stones are still standing, and show from the grooves and rebates cut in them that the gateway was defended first, with a drawbridge ; second, with a portcullis ; and third, with folding gates. The sill of the gate and the floor of the entrance passage were on a level raised about one story above the ground without. The approach was probably effected by means of a wooden gangway crossing the ditch and rising gradually to the gateway, from which, however, it would be cut off by the space occupied by the drawbridge when lowered. Underneath the sill of the entrance gateway there is a carefully constructed pit lined with ashlar. It is possible that the drawbridge was balanced on pivots, so that when raised part of it would be below the level of the passage and part above, and when lowered part would be outside the gate and would form the