east-lothian-1924/05-164

Transcription

PENCAITLAND.] -- INVENTORY OF MONUMENTS IN EAST LOTHIAN. -- [PENCAITLAND.

turret stair contained in the east re-entering
angle. To the north the building is three
storeys in height, but on the south advantage
is taken of the falling site to obtain an addit-
ional storey beneath the main block ; this
basement is vaulted. The eastern tower is
carried one storey higher than its surroundings;
the western two storeys.
The external detail is very similar to that of
Heriot's Hospital, Edinburgh. In Winton
there are a similar employment of string-
courses and rich treatment of the voids. It is
known that William Wallace,2 a King's Master
Mason since 1617, was employed at Heriot's
before his death in 1631, and that he had been
ding work for the Earl of Winton is shown
by an entry in the Register of Confirmed Testa-
ments, 12th December 1632 : " Item : Thair
was awin to the said umquhill William Wallace
be George Earle of Wintoun, in acknowledg-
ment of his panes in his Lordship's works,
conforme to his Lordship's tiket, subscrivit
with his hand, the sowme of 500 merkis."
The pediments of the windows are of the
Jacobean strapwork variety. The ornate
gable crowsteps and the balustraded flat
surmounting the west stair tower are note-
worthy (fig. 124) ; but the outstanding feature
of Winton is its tall chimney stalks alternately
wrought in convolutions and in flutes, the latter
enriched with a Renaissance rendering of the
Gothic crocket. This manner of decorating
stalks, while familiar in the Jacobean archi-
tecture of England, is unknown elsewhere in
Scotland. East of the mansion the terrace is
bounded by a high revetment surmounted by
a balustrade similar to that on the west tower ;
from the terrace a flight of steps leads to the
lower ground. In the revetment wall two 17th
century pediments enriched with vine scroll and
other foliaceous carving are inserted. These
flank a panel bearing a shield charged with
the royal arms. The inscription on the label
below the shield IACOBVS - - S (?)- - BRIT - -
FRANCE - - ET HIBER shows it to have been of
the date of the building of the house, 1620.
Winton contains three inter-communicating
apartments on the first floor which are
elaborately decorated in a florid 17th century
manner. The largest of these, which occupies
the western portion of the main block, measures
44 1/4 feet by 22 feet and has a height of 13 1/2 feet.

85

The north wall contains a fine Renaissance fire-
place in freestone (see fig. 176) which bears the
Seton crescents and a star, the Seton dragon,
and beneath an earl's coronet the initials G S
for George Seton third Earl of Winton and A H
for Anne Hay. Surmounting the fireplace is
a band of arabesque plaster work very beauti-
fully executed, and above this is a plaster
frieze with heavily moulded enrichment, which
returns round the chamber beneath a flowing
slightly-membered plaster cornice. On the
frieze, and centering with the fireplace, is an
heraldic panel with bearings, supporters, crown
and banner as above described ; in this instance
the shield is girt by the Garter only and
the strapwork label below bears the
motto VNIONV VNIO (By union a unity). The
ceiling is very elaborately worked and is
broken up into panels by moulded stiles,
which are enriched on the soffits. The panels
also are enriched by the application of orna-
mental and heraldic devices. The central
panel has an ornate shield charged with the
arms of Seton bearing the augmentation
granted to Robert Earl of Winton in 1600-
(azure) a blazing star of nine (properly ten)
points within a double tressure flory-counter-
flory (or)-with supporters, dragon crest and
motto above and below (cf. Art. No. 191).
Other devices are, beneath a coronet a blazing
star of ten points, three crescents intertwined,
a garb surmounting a crescent and a re-
petition of the initials on the fireplace. The
adjoining chamber on the east, known as
King Charles' Room, has the Renaissance
fireplace of unusual design shown on fig. 175
and a handsomely decorated plaster frieze
and ceiling. The latter bears the initials
C.R. for Carolus Rex being Charles I, who,
on visiting Scotland in 1633, is said to have
been received at Winton House for a night
on his way to Edinburgh and for a week-end
on returning ;3 as well as devices similar to
those already described. The heavy pendants
formed at certain stile junctions are note-
worthy and add greatly to the rich effect.
The chamber in the wing also had an enriched
ceiling of somewhat similar detail. The
plaster work in these rooms is identical in
detail to that at Pinkie House, Musselburgh,
and Moray House, Edinburgh, and evidently
was executed from the same moulds.