Coupland Castle (Ewart)
Coupland Castle. Photo by Harry Rowland.
[NT 93543115] Coupland Castle. Tower. (1)
The tower at Coupland was probably built as a direct result of the Border Commission of 1584. (2)
Coupland Castle is a tower-house of late date, though an interior date stone of 1619 seems too late. Most of the tower was restored in the early 19th century. (3)
Apart from the tower, the building as a whole, is not outstanding. See GP. AO/55/286/5. (4)
Coupland Castle, grade 1. Country house, incorporating a tower house built after 1584. The four storey tower house has a vaulted basement, later sudivided to form two rooms, and an original newel stair. A slightly later extension to the left of the tower forms a T-plan. An internal date stone of 1619 may relate to this work. The building was further extended in the 18th century and again between 1820 and 1825. (5)
Coupland Castle, Grade I. Country house; 16th, 17th, 18th centuries and 1820-25. Random rubble. Ashlar dressings with Scottish slate roof. Towerhouse, built after 1584, with irregular later additions.
Towerhouse: 4 storeys, 47ft x 29ft. 19th century window sashes. 19th century battlements. Projecting parapet on original rounded corbels; gabled roof behind parapet with original stone-flagged walkway around. Slightly later extension to tower on left, c.1820-25 two-storey, three bay house attached to left.
Interior: tower has vaulted basement, later subdivided to two rooms. Original stone newel stair from first floor partly in later addition to tower, with later stone newel stair from ground to first floor. Early 17th century round-arched doorway at base of stair. Fireplace on first floor of tower dated 'G W 1619 M W' (George and Mary Wallis). (6)
Coupland Castle stands in the valley of the River Glen, close to the north bank of the river. The late medieval tower, now incorporated in a larger house, is constructed of large rubble with small patches of roughly coursed stone between the unshaped blocks and cut dressings. The masonry is partly obscured by render.
The tower, of three storeys and an attic, is rectangular in plan with its longer axis east-west; the main body measures 14.3m by 8.8m externally. Near the east end of the south wall is an almost square projection, carried up as a tower above the main eaves line. Later buildings adjoin the south wall, except for a short section east of the projection, the west end and the north wall.
EXTERIOR:
All the windows in the building, the majority of which have moulded surrounds, seem to be of 19th century date, except for some small loops in the stair turret. A drawing of c.1810 shows the south and east elevations as only having very small openings. The north elevation is almost blank except for what may be the lintel of a small square headed window visible towards the east end of the wall at second floor level. The embattled parapet of the main block is carried on corbels with a parapet walk in between it and the gabled roof behind. That of the south tower is set on a moulded oversailing course. A rounded stair turret in the angle of the main block south wall and tower west wall is corbelled out at first floor level and carried up as a circular embattled turret above the tower roof. The battlements all round seem to be 19th century restoration.
The original entrance doorway is in the west wall of the south projection and now opens internally. It has a round headed arch with a continuous wave-like moulding. Adjacent to it is a square headed doorway opening through the south wall into the basement of the main block. This has a similar but not identical moulding, but seems likely to be a later insertion.
INTERIOR:
The entrance doorway, which has massive iron hinge pins, opens on to the foot of a stone newel stair 3.1m in diameter; at the foot of the stair a doorway gives access to the main block basement. This doorway has jambs of rounded section and a renewed lintel; on the east jamb the date 1594 is twice incised.
The basement measures 11m by 5.6m and has a tall (c.4m) rounded barrel vault, divided like the floors above by a late 18th or early 19th century cross wall (with a large fireplace in each face) somewhat east of centre. There is an inserted doorway in the north wall, which is 1.68m thick at this point and an inserted sash window in each end wall. In the east wall, near the south east corner, is a low recess rather like a rough fireplace (it is slightly splayed) but apparently without any flue.
The main newel stair terminates at first floor level. Any surviving details of the doorway opening into the first floor chamber of the tower are hidden by plaster. In the south wall of the western chamber is a large fireplace with a flat pointed arch within a hollo moulded frame. The lintel has shaped sunk panels, that at the left end with the initials GW, that at the centre with the date 1619 and that at the right end with the initials MW. A doorway in the south wall gives access to the upper stair, a stone newel 1.9m in diameter.
The second floor has no exposed features of interest. The attic seems to retain its original roof structure. This is of unusual form and of considerable interest, but it is largely boarded over. Each principal pair of rafters has small vertical members (ashlar pieces?) tenoned into their soffits; these have rounded bases and a neat chamfer on each angle. In the rear face of eachmember are a pair of pegholes, implying the tenon of a horizontal member.
INTERPRETATION:
Although many of its minor features are concealed by later alterations, the tower remains a good specimen of a late tower house very much in the Scottish tradition. It shares some features with late 16th and 17th century strong houses, eg the position of the entrance doorway opening on to the principal stair. The plan is very similar to the late 16th century building called Queen Mary's House in Jedburgh.
Several writers consider the tower might have been built as late as 1619, the date on the first floor fireplace, but the recent discovery of the 1594 dates on the basement doorway show this to be incorrect. The latter date need not necessarily be the date of construction, but if not, this is probably within the previous decade or so.
The c.1810 print of the tower shows a single storey range of buildings adjoining the south front to the west of the stair tower, linking it to a two storeyed four-bay house running east-west. Both house and single storey block were incorporated in a c.1820 remodelling when the present Tudor style country house was built. (7)
It seems that the tower was not completed until 1619, for George Wallis only bought the estate in 1600. (8a)
The tower at Coupland was probably built as a direct result of the Border Commission of 1584. (2)
Coupland Castle is a tower-house of late date, though an interior date stone of 1619 seems too late. Most of the tower was restored in the early 19th century. (3)
Apart from the tower, the building as a whole, is not outstanding. See GP. AO/55/286/5. (4)
Coupland Castle, grade 1. Country house, incorporating a tower house built after 1584. The four storey tower house has a vaulted basement, later sudivided to form two rooms, and an original newel stair. A slightly later extension to the left of the tower forms a T-plan. An internal date stone of 1619 may relate to this work. The building was further extended in the 18th century and again between 1820 and 1825. (5)
Coupland Castle, Grade I. Country house; 16th, 17th, 18th centuries and 1820-25. Random rubble. Ashlar dressings with Scottish slate roof. Towerhouse, built after 1584, with irregular later additions.
Towerhouse: 4 storeys, 47ft x 29ft. 19th century window sashes. 19th century battlements. Projecting parapet on original rounded corbels; gabled roof behind parapet with original stone-flagged walkway around. Slightly later extension to tower on left, c.1820-25 two-storey, three bay house attached to left.
Interior: tower has vaulted basement, later subdivided to two rooms. Original stone newel stair from first floor partly in later addition to tower, with later stone newel stair from ground to first floor. Early 17th century round-arched doorway at base of stair. Fireplace on first floor of tower dated 'G W 1619 M W' (George and Mary Wallis). (6)
Coupland Castle stands in the valley of the River Glen, close to the north bank of the river. The late medieval tower, now incorporated in a larger house, is constructed of large rubble with small patches of roughly coursed stone between the unshaped blocks and cut dressings. The masonry is partly obscured by render.
The tower, of three storeys and an attic, is rectangular in plan with its longer axis east-west; the main body measures 14.3m by 8.8m externally. Near the east end of the south wall is an almost square projection, carried up as a tower above the main eaves line. Later buildings adjoin the south wall, except for a short section east of the projection, the west end and the north wall.
EXTERIOR:
All the windows in the building, the majority of which have moulded surrounds, seem to be of 19th century date, except for some small loops in the stair turret. A drawing of c.1810 shows the south and east elevations as only having very small openings. The north elevation is almost blank except for what may be the lintel of a small square headed window visible towards the east end of the wall at second floor level. The embattled parapet of the main block is carried on corbels with a parapet walk in between it and the gabled roof behind. That of the south tower is set on a moulded oversailing course. A rounded stair turret in the angle of the main block south wall and tower west wall is corbelled out at first floor level and carried up as a circular embattled turret above the tower roof. The battlements all round seem to be 19th century restoration.
The original entrance doorway is in the west wall of the south projection and now opens internally. It has a round headed arch with a continuous wave-like moulding. Adjacent to it is a square headed doorway opening through the south wall into the basement of the main block. This has a similar but not identical moulding, but seems likely to be a later insertion.
INTERIOR:
The entrance doorway, which has massive iron hinge pins, opens on to the foot of a stone newel stair 3.1m in diameter; at the foot of the stair a doorway gives access to the main block basement. This doorway has jambs of rounded section and a renewed lintel; on the east jamb the date 1594 is twice incised.
The basement measures 11m by 5.6m and has a tall (c.4m) rounded barrel vault, divided like the floors above by a late 18th or early 19th century cross wall (with a large fireplace in each face) somewhat east of centre. There is an inserted doorway in the north wall, which is 1.68m thick at this point and an inserted sash window in each end wall. In the east wall, near the south east corner, is a low recess rather like a rough fireplace (it is slightly splayed) but apparently without any flue.
The main newel stair terminates at first floor level. Any surviving details of the doorway opening into the first floor chamber of the tower are hidden by plaster. In the south wall of the western chamber is a large fireplace with a flat pointed arch within a hollo moulded frame. The lintel has shaped sunk panels, that at the left end with the initials GW, that at the centre with the date 1619 and that at the right end with the initials MW. A doorway in the south wall gives access to the upper stair, a stone newel 1.9m in diameter.
The second floor has no exposed features of interest. The attic seems to retain its original roof structure. This is of unusual form and of considerable interest, but it is largely boarded over. Each principal pair of rafters has small vertical members (ashlar pieces?) tenoned into their soffits; these have rounded bases and a neat chamfer on each angle. In the rear face of eachmember are a pair of pegholes, implying the tenon of a horizontal member.
INTERPRETATION:
Although many of its minor features are concealed by later alterations, the tower remains a good specimen of a late tower house very much in the Scottish tradition. It shares some features with late 16th and 17th century strong houses, eg the position of the entrance doorway opening on to the principal stair. The plan is very similar to the late 16th century building called Queen Mary's House in Jedburgh.
Several writers consider the tower might have been built as late as 1619, the date on the first floor fireplace, but the recent discovery of the 1594 dates on the basement doorway show this to be incorrect. The latter date need not necessarily be the date of construction, but if not, this is probably within the previous decade or so.
The c.1810 print of the tower shows a single storey range of buildings adjoining the south front to the west of the stair tower, linking it to a two storeyed four-bay house running east-west. Both house and single storey block were incorporated in a c.1820 remodelling when the present Tudor style country house was built. (7)
It seems that the tower was not completed until 1619, for George Wallis only bought the estate in 1600. (8a)
N2018
FIELD OBSERVATION, Ordnance Survey Archaeology Division Field Investigation 1967; D King
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