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Bute, Kames Castle And Lodges

Tower House (Medieval)

Site Name Bute, Kames Castle And Lodges

Classification Tower House (Medieval)

Canmore ID 40309

Site Number NS06NE 2

NGR NS 06354 67577

Datum OSGB36 - NGR

Permalink http://canmore.org.uk/site/40309

Ordnance Survey licence number AC0000807262. All rights reserved.
Canmore Disclaimer. © Copyright and database right 2024.

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Administrative Areas

  • Council Argyll And Bute
  • Parish North Bute
  • Former Region Strathclyde
  • Former District Argyll And Bute
  • Former County Buteshire

Archaeology Notes

NS06NE 2.00 06354 67577.

NS06NE 2.01 NS 062 675 Enclosure

NS06NE 2.02 NS 061 675 Walled Gardens

(NS 0635 6755) Kames Castle (NR)

OS 6" map (1900)

The original building was a simple five-storeyed keep, probably 16th century, which measures about 36ft by 25ft 6 inches, with walls about 5 feet 4 inches thick. The north-east wing may be coeval although much of the upper part of the tower is quite modern.

D MacGibbon and T Ross 1889

Kames Castle is a plain rectangular keep as described above. The north-east wing has been removed, and the keep restored. In use as a dwelling-house.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 15 January 1964

Architecture Notes

NMRS REFERENCE:

Architect: Alterations by David Bryce

NS06NE 2.00 Kames Castle

NS06NE 2.02 NS 06165 67526 Walled Garden

NS06NE 2.03 NS 06211 67447 Gardener's Cottage

NS06NE 2.04 NS 06648 67457 Gatelodge

NS06NE 2.05 NS 06171 67567 Walled Garden, Outbuilding

NS06NE 2.06 NS 06174 67562 Walled Garden, Greenhouse

NS06NE 2.07 NS 06108 67497 Walled Garden Cottage

NS06NE 2.08 NS 06111 67509 Walled Garden Cottage Wing

Activities

Desk Based Assessment (16 December 1963)

The original building was a simple five-storeyed keep, probably 16th century, which measures about 36ft by 25ft 6 inches, with walls about 5 feet 4 inches thick. The north-east wing may be coeval although much of the upper part of the tower is quite modern.

Information from OS (DT) 16 December 1963

D MacGibbon and T Ross 1889

Field Visit (15 January 1964)

Kames Castle is a plain rectangular keep as described above (OS 16.12.63). The north-east wing has been removed, and the keep restored. In use as a dwelling-house.

Visited by OS (WDJ) 15 January 1964

Photographic Survey (9 May 2006)

Photographed by the Listed Building Area Survey, Argyll upgrade programme.

RCAHMS (CAJS) 2012.

Test Pit Survey (May 2018 - September 2019)

NS 06354 67577 Between May 2018 and September 2019, three trial trenches were excavated and historic building recording was undertaken at Kames Castle (Canmore ID: 40309) following the stripping of cement finishes back to bare masonry. The trenches were excavated within the basement of the keep and demonstrated that there had been considerable disturbance caused by underpinning, comprising redeposited natural sand and gravels in Trench 1 and concrete lining in Trench 2. A small area of seemingly undisturbed archaeological deposits survived in Trench 3 comprising a layer of trample and a deposit of peat. A small number of finds were present, including ceramics from the 16th century through to the 18th century and a selection of animal bones. Due to the level of the disturbance only the finds from Trench 3 may provide an accurate date for the deposits.

Following stripping back to masonry the interior and exterior of the structure was examined from scaffolding and archaeological phasing annotated onto architect’s drawings. The works showed the structure to have undergone at least two major phases or reordering. The first phase related to the construction of a late 18th / early 19th century mansion house beside, and incorporating, the tower. This involved building an external stair tower against the north elevation of the tower; the formation of new doors and the insertion of larger windows.

In the second phase, in the early 20th century, the mansion house was demolished and a courtyard of hunting lodges was built around the tower. The external stair-tower and most of the inserted windows were removed many of which were replaced with smaller reproduction early windows and the stairs within the western masonry were reinstated. The ground-floor vaulted chamber was removed and the first floor was replaced in timber at a lower level, all the other flooring was also replaced as was the roof. In the later 20th century the tower was encased in a cement harl and concrete underpinning was undertaken.

Archive: NRHE (intended)

Funder: Private individual

Kenneth Macfadyen - Addyman Archaeology

(Source: DES Vol 20)

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