Culzean Castle, Fountain Garden

Archaeological monitoring works were carried out in support of the insertion of a new drainage and irrigation system within the Fountain Court at Culzean Castle, South Ayrshire. The archaeological works were designed to mitigate any adverse impact on the archaeological remains within the development area. The works uncovered the remains of a sandstone wall (NS 23276 10194) which surrounded the area along its southwest, southeast and northeast sides. This wall appears to represent the remains of the surrounding wall of the earlier walled garden known to stand in this area during the 18th century. The wall had been disturbed by the insertion of a stone culvert likely while it had still been upstanding, and by two later red tile drains cut through it after it had been demolished, representing improvements to the ground throughout the 18th to 20th centuries. A possible linear feature identified in section may represent an internal garden feature although it was unclear. The depth of the topsoil across the whole of the area appeared to have been made up possibly by importing topsoil from elsewhere during the levelling works to turn it into a formal garden during the 19th century. This was attested to by the artefacts present throughout the topsoil which were mainly 19th to 20th century in date.

Information from OASIS ID: rathmell1-281715 (C Williamson) 2017