North East wing, view from roof of castle to South West. Digital image of D 47027/cn

Description North East wing, view from roof of castle to South West. Digital image of D 47027/cn

Date 26/4/1999

Collection Records of the Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS), Edinbu

Catalogue Number SC 764727

Category On-line Digital Images

Copy of D 47027 CN

Scope and Content East Service Wing, Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfries & Galloway This long, low, discreet pink sandstone service wing runs from the east side of the north front to a square, early 18th-century square pavilion (left) which guards one side of the entrance to the forecourt. The range was built in 1830-4 when the house was undergoing a much-needed programme of restoration, and was probably designed by the architect, William Burn. The flat roof is covered with lead, a tasteful if expensive roofing material, and the roofline is balustraded, with the balusters set diagonally, to match the original balustrading of the house. A screen wall (left), also in pink sandstone, helps obscure part of the wing from view from the forecourt. The east service wing was designed as a working building, containing offices for the clerk of works, housekeeper and other domestic staff, workrooms such as sewing and mending rooms, laundry offices and storerooms. Although its overall design complements that of the house and the early 18th-century pavilion, its form is simple and low, and it is discreetly sited on the periphery of the forecourt. The screen wall allows delivery vehicles and servants to come and go, completely unseen from the forecourt, mirroring the service arrangement within the house itself, where the kitchens and storerooms are in the basement, unseen and remote from the rest of the house. Drumlanrig Castle, one of the great Renaissance courtyard houses of Scottish domestic architecture, stands within extensive parkland amongst the hills of Nithsdale. The mansion was built between 1679 and 1690 for William Douglas, 1st Duke of Queensberry, incorporating part of a mid-16th-century house and the remains of a late 14th-century Douglas stronghold which originally stood on the site. The architect was almost certainly James Smith who had worked on the construction of Holyrood Palace, Edinburgh, and the builder was William Lukup who is buried in Durisdeer churchyard nearby. Source: RCAHMS contribution to SCRAN.

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/collection/764727

File Format (TIF) Tagged Image File Format bitmap