Robert Adam - Designs in the Castle Style - Seton Castle

Starting from the Entrance Hall (South courtyard side) and working clockwise, the rooms are labled (Fig 1 below) :-hall & stairs 20 Sq.,Drawing-room 20 by 30, Dining Room 20 by 28, ladies Dressing 8 by 11, Watercloset, Bedroom 16 Sq., Gentleman's Dress 11 by 6, Watercloset.

Connecting the wings to the main house and mirroring the curve of the entrance loggia are single storey corridors on the North side of the Courtyard, between which are the steps leading up to the entrance.

The separation of the domestic service accomodation from the main house seems to have been unusual in Adam's designs for the smaller country Houses. While for the owners there were advantages, this arrangement presumably brought with it some problems, such as the length of time it might have taken to get hot food from the kitchen to the dining room.

The design carefully contrives to deny a full view of the house from the approach on this South side. The side wings and entrance courtyard walls screen and shelter the house. The effect of this is enhanced by the use of the Castle Style, which give the impression of battlements and defenses around the house which is itself designed to look like a castle keep.

The woods to the East and West sides also help to provide a screen to the house.

By continually denying a view of the house the design skillfully sets up an almost theatrical sense of anticipation. The house is only gradually revealed as you approach and enter the entrance courtyard. Even after you enter the front door you are not given any real sense of the scale of the house, nor what the North side might look like.

Plan

Fig 1. The House. Detail of Plan at Principal (Ground Floor) Level. On the South side is the entrance courtyard. A single storey corridor leads from both the East wing and West wing into the entrance hall of the main house. The corridors are curved to mirror the curved loggia on the South side of the Entrance Courtyard.

South Side

Fig 2 The South Approach. The side wings and the South wall to the entrance courtyard between them screen the main house behind, which is itself designed with the defensive features of a castle keep.

Fig 3. Entrance Court Gate
There are tantalising glimpses of the house as you approach. The climbing plants, which clearly like the South facing wall, currently hide the miniature square turrets that frame the gate on either side and have blank recessed dummy window openings.

Fig 4. Entrance Court Gate
The gate frames the view of the South side of the house, which, with its combination of Square and circular turrets could not be more heavily and dramatically modelled to achieve a depth of facade, that Adam defined as movement.

Fig 5 Upper S. Facade
The facade of the curved corridors that embrace and lead the eye to the entrance, have an arcade of arches that mirror the arched opening of the loggia on either side of the entrance gate, where this photograph was taken from.

Fig 6 Upper S. Facade
The House is designed to to look like a castle keep. The vertical turrets, like great trumpet blasts, give it a great mass and solidity and a vertical emphasis. The vertical elements are visually bound by the horizontal string courses and battlements, like metal bands around a casket.

Fig 7 Upper S. Facade
There is a great contrast between these massive upper works and the delicate stone detailing of the courtyard and the front door entrance screen. Adam was always striving to give visual variety to his facades. This is a supurb example what he defined as movement.

Fig 8 Front Door Fanlight and Entablature
The corinthian pilasters support a simple entablature above which is the fanlight, within a flattened arch spanning the tripartite screen below. The wall beyond the dressed stone voussoirs of the arch, is formed of coursed rubble. Much of the stone in this building is in need of repointing.

Fig 9 Front Door Fanlight
The corinthian pilasters support a simple entablature above which is the fanlight, within a flattened arch spanning the tripartite screen below. There is are double outer solid doors for security and a single inner glazed door, with lobby between below the vault of the fanlight.

Fig 8 Front Door Detail
The door has a casement window on either side. The tripartite arrangement is divided by Corinthian pilasters with a delicate Corinthian capital. The center stone of the entablature is beginning to lose its face as a result of uneven weathering.