Bothwell Castle (27)
So you will have noticed in the background of some of the previous photos, the foundations shown more clearly here. You don't need to be a rocket-surgeon to see that the pair or horse-shoes in the foreground were, or were intended to be, a gatehouse. The rectangular pit between the towers was for the drawbridge. This is all 13th century work, but the big question is, was it ever completed?
The foundations visible here were only revealed by the excavator's spade in 1888. At the time, and well into the 20th century, the popular view was that they represented the remains of completed 13th century walls, that were demolished in the 14th century - probably following Bannockburn. These days the generally accepted view is that this northern half of the castle was never completed, its construction perhaps being interrupted by the beginning of the Wars of Independence.
Bothwell Castle (27)
So you will have noticed in the background of some of the previous photos, the foundations shown more clearly here. You don't need to be a rocket-surgeon to see that the pair or horse-shoes in the foreground were, or were intended to be, a gatehouse. The rectangular pit between the towers was for the drawbridge. This is all 13th century work, but the big question is, was it ever completed?
The foundations visible here were only revealed by the excavator's spade in 1888. At the time, and well into the 20th century, the popular view was that they represented the remains of completed 13th century walls, that were demolished in the 14th century - probably following Bannockburn. These days the generally accepted view is that this northern half of the castle was never completed, its construction perhaps being interrupted by the beginning of the Wars of Independence.