Skipness Castle (7)
Skipness Castle's main entrance has experienced many vicissitudes, but the main features can still be distinguished. As shown in the MacGibbon & Ross drawing, the soft sandstone blocks of the original front arch have been replaced, having presumably collapsed. Various parts of two inner arches can be seen here, which have also collapsed. The nearer one formed the near-side of the portcullis slot. The furthest collapsed arch was the doorway, that once held double hinged doors, secured by a massive draw-bar, the hole for which can be seen to the right.
All these arches supported a Portcullis Room above, now in very poor condition. Within this room would have been the winding mechanism for raising and lower the portcullis. There would also have been an access doorway, out onto the timber hoarding. This opening was probably built up at the same time that the front arch was restored, because as can be seen at the top of this photograph, the stonework changes here from medium sized roughly dressed stones, to a lot of small pinning stones.
Skipness Castle (7)
Skipness Castle's main entrance has experienced many vicissitudes, but the main features can still be distinguished. As shown in the MacGibbon & Ross drawing, the soft sandstone blocks of the original front arch have been replaced, having presumably collapsed. Various parts of two inner arches can be seen here, which have also collapsed. The nearer one formed the near-side of the portcullis slot. The furthest collapsed arch was the doorway, that once held double hinged doors, secured by a massive draw-bar, the hole for which can be seen to the right.
All these arches supported a Portcullis Room above, now in very poor condition. Within this room would have been the winding mechanism for raising and lower the portcullis. There would also have been an access doorway, out onto the timber hoarding. This opening was probably built up at the same time that the front arch was restored, because as can be seen at the top of this photograph, the stonework changes here from medium sized roughly dressed stones, to a lot of small pinning stones.