Edinburgh, Barnbougle Castle, Garden

NT 16869 78526 A historic building survey and watching brief were undertaken, July 2017 – July 2018, at the category A listed castle as part of a restoration programme. The first house at Barnbougle was built in the 13th century. The present castle was originally built in the 17th century and was rebuilt in 1881 by the 5th Earl of Rosebery following an accidental explosion, when it was partly blown up.

The building recording was undertaken in July 2018 and focused on those areas subject to proposed alterations; a full photographic record was also made of the cellar, where parts of the 13th-century castle wall survive.

The watching brief was undertaken May – July 2018, on excavation trenches. Two trenches were excavated across the castle grounds on the terrace and the landscaped gardens to the S. The topsoil generally contained mortar and occasional rubble, presumably derived from demolition of the earlier castle. A drain and two linear features appear to have been associated with the original building and a late 19th-century ceramic sewer drain was partly reused to run the future sewer line from the castle to the new septic tank to the SE. The castle is built directly over the bedrock, which has been terraced in some places, although it was unclear as to whether this was undertaken during the original building construction or later rebuilding.

Archive: NRHE (intended)

Funder: Rosebery Estates

Antoine Ruchonnet – Addyman Archaeology

(Source: DES Vol 19)

OASIS ID: addymana1-326827