Page:The castellated and domestic architecture of Scotland from the twelfth to the eighteenth century (1887) - Volume 2.djvu/75

 BISHOP S HOUSE FOURTH PERIOD The arrangement of the plan (Fig. 52,0) is peculiar, which may have arisen from the north wing having been an addition. This wing comprises on the ground floor an open recess, pro- bably used as a remise for horses stand- ing in, with a small stable adjoining. The main part of the house has the usual vaulted kitchen and cellar on the ground floor, with the hall above, a private room in the north wing, and bedrooms in the upper floor. The most striking features of the exterior (Fig. 526) are the gabled crow- steps on the gables, and the small oriel window in the upper floor of the east front (see Fig. 525). These details, together with the sacred monogram I.H.S. over one of the fireplaces, show, as in Spynie Palace, some indications of ecclesiastical influence. FIG. 525. Bishop's House. Plan. FIG. 520. Bishop's House. View from the East. The main building contains a shield with the initials and arms of Bishop Patrick Hepburn, whose arms are also on the keep of Spynie, while under the crow-steps of the north wing is the date 1557, which corresponds with the time of Bishop Hepburn. Both from these dates and from its style the building may be attributed to the sixteenth century. There is another panel inserted in the north wing containing the