Borthwick Castle

H. W. Brewer

c. 1880

Signed with initials lower left

Source: Stevenson’s House Architecture, I, 358

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Commentary by J. J. Stevenson

Late Scotch Gothic has a characteristic peculiar, I think, to itself in the frequent use of round arched open- ings, especially for doorways. Mr. Billings thinks this is a remaining trace of Norman. But that style had been abandoned centuries before, and revivals were not thought of in these days. It probably arose from the perception that, when the necessities of vaulting did not require a pointed arch, the semicircular form, especially for a door, was stronger and more suitable, more easily closed by bars, and avoided the high point hanging above the hinge.

Another peculiarity of Scotch Gothic is the prevalence of square-headed windows without mullions, sometimes of fair width, without any attempt to disguise the straight lintel, as was usual in the Gothic of other countries, by cutting on it an ornamental pointed arch. These square- lintelled windows are found in monastic buildings and also in churches, though naturally they are more common in the castles. Borthwick Castle, about thirteen miles from Edinburgh, was built in accordance with a licence obtained from James I. in 1430. It is a Gothic building, the roof of the great hall is a pointed waggon vault, and the details of the interior are late Gothic in character. The openings are not pointed, but square-headed and without mullions, and where an arch is needed, it is round. [I, 357]

Bibliography

Stevenson, J. J. House Architecture. 2 vols. London: Macmillan, 1880.

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Last modified 17 July 2017