Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 2.djvu/611

 POSTSCRIPT. DURING the course of our investigations we have been much struck by the very large number of castles and mansions still existing in Scot- land. These belong to all periods, and many of them are very interesting and remarkable. Subjoined is a list of castles, of a considerable number of which we have drawings, but for want of space we have been obliged to omit them from the present volumes. The houses and mansions of the towns have almost all been so treated. These alone are sufficient in number and interest to form a valuable work. In our various excursions we have spent many a weary day in the fruitless search for castles and houses, which the Gazetteers and Maps declared to exist, but which have long ago disappeared. To save other inquirers so much resultless waste of time and energy, it would be very desirable if a reliable Guide were prepared, a kind of catalogue raisonne of ALL the Castellated and Domestic Buildings of Scot- land. It would be to us a labour of love to engage in such a work, and provided a general interest were aroused in the subject, and the assist- ance of local architects and other competent advisers were volunteered, probably the thing might be accomplished. The degree of favour with which the present work is received will serve as an index to the wishes of the public on the subject, and will enable us to judge whether such an appendix to or continuation of it is desired. Very many of our old Castles are now reduced to mere frag- ments, while of others the site only is discernible from the mounds which cover their ruins. In such cases a short explanatory note would be sufficient, and only when there are any architectural features specially worth recording would drawings be required. We may add that any information, architectural or historical, con- nected with castles and mansions in Scotland, will be very acceptable. It is most difficult to obtain reliable accounts or descriptions of ancient buildings ; in fact, we have frequently found those most written about and lauded, to be of comparatively small value, while others, often most important as specimens of Architecture, are almost unknown. Hitherto there has been nothing for it but to visit all, and see with our own eyes what they are like, a course frequently involving great inconvenience and loss of time. Hence the value of any trustworthy information