Description

The monument consists of the remains of Woodhead, or Woodhead House, a small castle built by John Lennox, 6th of Balcarroch, perhaps soon after he succeeded his brother Duncan in 1572.

The castle, standing at the top of a steep N-facing slope, is L-shaped on plan, the main block measuring approximately 12.6m NE-SW by 7.75m NW-SE, with a stair tower projecting from its S corner in alignment with the SW gable. It comprised three storeys and an attic. The re-entrant angle is now obscured by debris, but seems to have contained the entrance. The basement contained a kitchen, a cellar (which has vertical slots in the walls to hold wooden fittings) and a corridor along the SE side. All three are barrel-vaulted. The first floor was occupied by the hall. There are numerous traces of alterations, probably dating to the 17th Century, including the enlargement and insertion of windows and doorways, alterations to fireplaces, and the reconstruction of the stair to the Hall on a grander scale. Buildings were added against the SE and SW walls of the house, and it is likely that these perpetuated ranges surrounding a barmkin.

The crow-stepped NE gable of the house survives, together with a fine corbelled angle-turret on the N corner, but the walls at the SW end of the house are reduced to first-floor level.

The house remained in use until the completion of its replacement, Lennox Castle, in 1841, after which it was partially demolished to satisfy the taste for romantic ruins and was also converted (unsuccessfully) for use as an ice house.

The area scheduled is approximately rectangular on plan. It is limited by the road edge on the SE and extends 8m from the house to the NE and 10m from the house to the SW and NW, to include the house and the ranges later attached to it, the barmkin, and an area in which evidence for the activities associated with the occupation of the house may be expected to be found. The area is marked in red on the accompanying map.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Statement of Scheduling

The monument is of national importance as the remains of a late medieval castle, displaying considerable alterations to fit it for an increasing sophistication in the lifestyle of the owners. Analysis of the standing structure and associated below-ground archaeology has the potential to contribute to our understanding of late medieval and early modern domestic planning, social organisation and material culture in Scotland.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography

RCAHMS records the monument as NS 67 NW 8.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland