Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 2.djvu/500

 FOURTH PERIOD 484 CRAIGSTON CASTLE tured balcony. This arrangement of plan assimilates this house to Castle Stewart and Pitreavie, and we have therefore classed it along with them. Craigston was built by Urquhart, well known as "the Tutor of Cromarty," to whose descendants it still belongs. An inscription on the wall narrates that the castle was " foundit the fourtene of March ane thousand six hounder four yeiris and endit the 8 of December 1607." The ornate corbelling of the above balcony and of the angle turrets quite corresponds with these dates and with the style of work then usual in the North, and the carving of the balcony with its figures recalls such examples as Balbegno and Huntly Castle. The bold arch under the balcony is probably a feature borrowed from Fyvie Castle, which was built about the same time, or, it may have been designed by the same architect. The porch which fills up the lower part of the archway is modern. The original doorway was no doubt in the main wall in the centre of the archway. It is doubtful whether the upper part of the castle has ever been completed in accordance with the original design. The intention has evidently been to make the upper part of the building very ornate and picturesque, while the lower part was left perfectly plain and simple. This, as we have already had occasion to remark, is the usual charac- teristic of the Scottish castles of the period. The angle turrets and gables would in that case have been carried out somewhat in the manner of Crathes or Castle Fraser. We were informed in the locality that the turrets were erected and had been removed only within comparatively recent years in consequence of having shown signs of weakness, and threatening to fall, but we find no confirmation of this view in the Statistical Accounts, or in Sir A. Leith Hay's description of the castle. From the latter we learn that the interior of Craigston is peculiarly interesting from its carved oak panelling of the same date as the castle, representing a miscellaneous assemblage of heroes, kings, cardinal virtues, and evangelists. These probably resemble the similar series of sculp- tures on the garden walls of Edzell. ALDIE CASTLE, PERTHSHIRE. Aldie Castle, in the parish of Fossoway, is situated about five miles south-west from Kinross, and about two miles south-east from the Rumbling Bridge. The more modern part of the building, shown by hatched lines (Fig. 914), stands on the edge of a high steep bank sloping down to a wide valley, from the other side of which rise the Cleish Hills, about three-quarters of a mile distant. The castle is practically entire, and has evidently been inhabited up