Isles of Aaran’s Brodick Castle gives up its secrets during conservation work
Evidence indicating that Brodick Castle was protected by an early 17th century drawbridge is uncovered by the National Trust for Scotland during a programme of conservation work.
Blocked vertical slots above the entrance to the castle’s battery were identified during repointing work to its exterior. It’s thought they mark the location for the chains used in the operation of a drawbridge.
Further confirmation of the drawbridge was discovered in the Arran castle’s documented accounts with an entry recording the purchase and transportation of timbers from Irvine in 1608.
It suggests these would have been used in the construction of the traditional defensive structure.
‘We’re excited to share the discovery of the drawbridge holes at Brodick Castle that were found during conservation work to the castle’s exterior last year,’ says Derek Alexander, Head of Archaeology at the National Trust for Scotland.
The history was revealed while repointing the castle’s walls. Close inspection by a buildings’ archaeology specialist revealed two vertical slots had been packed out with smaller fragments of stone once the drawbridge was no longer in use.
It was hidden by a layer of cement and the slots were only revealed when the joints were cleared of loose material in preparation for re-pointing with lime mortar.
‘We noticed one slot and then another’
‘Standing on the scaffolding we noticed one slot and then another, each measuring about 50 cm high by 5 cm wide.’
‘Looking down the wall face it was apparent they were located immediately above the main door into the battery. And then the penny dropped, or should we say, the drawbridge!’
An artist’s impression of how the drawbridge would have looked at Brodick Castle. Image: NTS.
‘It also explains why there is a stepped recess, around two metres wide and roughly 20 cm deep, in the wall face – which the drawbridge would have been raised into to sit flush with the rest of the wall.’
‘After further investigation and research, we were able to establish that the holes would’ve been used to hold the chains that raised and lowered a drawbridge to protect the main entrance to the castle.’
‘Our records show the purchase of timbers from the mainland in the early 1600s that reinforces the theory of the presence of a drawbridge, but we’d always wondered where this would have been located.’
‘It’s not every day that you find physical evidence of a previously unknown 17th century drawbridge!’
Slots functioned as ‘rainures’
‘The slots were most likely to have functioned as ‘rainures’ which is the technical term for the apertures through which chains would’ve been passed to enable the lowering and raising of a timber drawbridge,’ explains Tom Addyman, the buildings’ archaeology specialist.
‘This conclusion was reinforced by the form of the eastern slot, which had a down-sloping base.’
The battery at Brodick was added to protect the main medieval access into the castle and designed to provide a platform for muskets and small artillery pieces.
It was traditionally called the ‘Cromwellian battery’ suggesting a 1650s date, although there are now indications that there were earlier structures at this location.
The door through the battery was used as the main entrance into the castle, probably until Gillespie Graham’s re-modelling of Brodick in the 1840s, when the main entrance was moved to the south-western end (where visitors now enter).
It is thought that the drawbridge was replaced before this time, with a simple timber doorway and a short flight of steps built against the wall.
The programme of conservation work to Brodick’s exterior in 2023, which was led by the Trust’s Buildings Team, is now nearing completion with some minor internal repairs still ongoing.
Drawbridge is a ‘fascinating discovery’
Works included repairs to the external stone walls, the castle’s roof and windows. Phase one of the window repairs was partially funded by Historic Environment Scotland’s Annual Repair Grant. The castle remained open to visitors in 2023.
‘The drawbridge at Brodick Castle is a fascinating discovery and we’re excited to share this with visitors when the castle reopens for the new season,’ says Ian McLelland, National Trust for Scotland Regional Director for South and West.
‘There is still some ongoing conservation of the interior to be completed, but we’re aiming for this work to be completed in April and will minimise any impact to the visitor experience at the castle during this time.’
The conservation work at Brodick Castle contributes to the National Trust for Scotland’s conservation goals to improve the condition of its estate.