Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 2.djvu/197

 DALCROSS CASTLE 181 FOURTH PERIOD form is that of the L plan, with the staircase in the re-entering angle, but with this peculiarity., that a large notch is cut out of the heel of the L. A number of loopholes are formed in the walls of this notch,, as if the object had been to provide for the better defence of the building by enabling more of the walls to be protected by cross fire. The ground floor is vaulted, and contains the usual accommodation, viz., a kitchen with large fireplace, stone water-supply filler, and drain, and several cellars, all well provided with shot-holes, the wine-cellar having the almost universal private stair down from the hall. The staircase is wide, and is continued above the first floor. FIG. 639. Dalcross Castle. View from the South-West. The first floor comprises the hall, 34 feet long by 19 feet wide, with large windows on three sides, and the usual great fireplace. At the south end it has a small closet from which the stair to the wine-cellar descends in a projection made for it into the notch of the heel. At the other end of the hall a small newel stair leads to the upper floors. The other apartment on the first floor is evidently the private room of the