Coupland Castle

Description

Although known as a castle, this is a tower house, probably built sometime after 1584. It has been added to over the years and was restored in C19. The tower has three storeys with an attic on top and a small projecting tower carried up the south wall. The entrance door has a date of 1594 inscribed on one side and leads into a barrel vaulted room, or basement, now divided into two. A newel, or spiral staircase leads to the upper floors. The attic roof seems to be original and is an unusual and interesting structure. The tower is a good example of a tower house and is very much in the Scottish tradition. (Keys to the Past)

Country house. C16, C17, C18 and 1820-25. Random rubble including massive porphyry blocks, partly roughcast. Ashlar dressings and Scottish slate roofs.
Towerhouse, built after 1584, with irregular later additions.
Towerhouse: 4 storeys. 47 ft. x 29 ft. C19 12-pane sashes in moulded surrounds. Projecting parapet on original rounded corbels. C19 battlements. Gabled roof behind parapet with original stone-flagged walkway around.
Slightly later extension to tower on left, forming T-plan for these early parts. Similar windows. Continuous moulded corbel table below parapet. Pyramidal roof and circular stair turret.
2-storey, 3-bay house of c.1820-25 attached to left. Central battlemented porch tower with Tudor-arched entrance and oriel window above on moulded corbels. Plaster rib vault in porch. 2-storey canted bay window to right and 3-light mullioned windows to left. Battlemented parapet and false gable behind porch.
Left return has work of 1820-25 on right and 3-bay C18 house to left with 12-pane sash windows in raised surrounds.
Rear facade irregular.
Interior: Tower has vaulted basement, subdivided later into 2 rooms. Original narrow stone newel stair starts from 1st floor in corbelled-out semicircular projection now partly inside later addition to tower, which also contains a broader and later stone newel stair from ground to 1st floor. Base of this stair has round-arched doorway with roll-moulded surround, probably early C17. Similar doorway into kitchen range to rear. Base of original tower has late C17 or early C18 doorway with bolection-moulded surround. On 1st floor of tower a large fireplace dated GW 1619 MW for George and Mary Wallis. The initials set in decorative recessed panels. Tudor-arched lintel. C19 section has contemporary decoration including fine doors, cornices with Greek key pattern, cantilevered stair with wrought-iron balustrade. Several early C19 fireplaces and one late C18 wood fireplace with Corinthian columns and relief carving in lintel, brought from elsewhere. (Listed Building Report)