(43) Plate XIX/a
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Plate XIX.
CULLEAN CASTLE.
FEW buildings can lay
claim to a situation so bold and picturesque, and yet so beautiful,
as Cullean Castle.
It stands on a rock, that projects into the sea, while its sides,
almost perpendicular, rise about one hun-
dred feet from the surface of the water. It is perhaps the most
striking situation in the county of Ayr.
This Castle was built so late as the year 1777, after the design of
Mr. Robert Adams, and is well executed.
Its outline is happily varied by the roundness of some parts, and
the angular projections of others; and it
is upon the whole a fine specimen of modern gothic. The view from
the principal apartments towards
the sea is extremely grand. It embraces the whole of the firth of
Clyde, and the bold and mountainous
isle of Arran; while towards the left is seen an opening into the
Atlantic between the mull of Kintyre
and the distant coast of Ireland. This surface of water is also
still further diversified by the singular
rock, called Ailsa Craig, which rises almost perpendicularly above
nine hundred feet; between which and
the walls of the Castle most vessels, that navigate the Clyde,
pass.
Near the Castle, and
immediately below some of the buildings, there are six very large
excavations in
the rock; but whether natural or artificial, has been more than
once questioned. The largest towards the
west is about fifty feet high at its entrance, and has the
appearance of a pointed arch, formed by the incli-
nation of two rocks towards each other. Its extent is above two
hundred feet; and it has communications
with two others. At the entrance to the largest of these caves,
towards the west, a door-case of free-stone
has been built, and also a window of the same materials, about
three feet above it. Over this there is an
apartment, from which any one, who attacked the entrance, could be
very much annoyed. Similar open-
ings are found over the gateways of several old castles in this
country. This view was taken in 1799.
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| Scotia depicta > (43) Plate XIX/a |
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| Permanent URL | https://digital.nls.uk/74582314 |
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| Description | Plate XIX: Cullean Castle [description]. |
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| Description | Over 100 pictorial works and text pages relating to 19th century Scotland's antiquities, cities towns and picturesque scenery. Contains engravings of abbeys, castles, public buildings, battle grounds, harbours and landscapes. John Claude Nattes made drawings of suitable scenes on the spot; etchings are by James Fittler. |
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| Shelfmark | J.134.f |
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