Sauchie Tower, Fishcross, United Kingdom

In 1431 Sir James Schaw of Greenock, Comptroller to the King, acquired the lands of Sauchie when he married the heiress Mary de Annand. Sauchie Tower was built by Sir James soon after. His son was appointed Governor of Stirling Castle in 1460. The Schaws held the land into the 17th century, with several members of the family serving in the Scottish royal household.

Around 1631, Alexander Schaw, who was knighted by King Charles I in 1633, built a house in the courtyard to the north-west of the tower. Another house on the estate, Schawpark, was built around 1700, and in 1752 Sauchie passed by marriage to the Cathcart family. Around this time the tower is thought to have been gutted by fire, and was not subsequently lived in. The roof and turrets were destroyed in the second half of the nineteenth century. Old Sauchie House, in the courtyard, was demolished after the estate was bought for coal extraction in the 1930s. The tower was derelict but in good condition in 1950. Schawpark was sold in 1826, to the Earl of Mansfield, who was then Lord Lieutenant of Clackmannanshire, but was demolished in 1961.

Today the tower is restored. It measures 11.5 by 10.3 metres and rises four storeys to a corbelled parapet walk, with bartizans (open round towers) at the corners. At the north-west corner is a hexagonal cap house (a small room covering the top of the stair), with a pyramidal roof. The vaulted basement contains a well, and the main hall is at first-floor level.

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Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

User Reviews

Joshua Tann (8 months ago)
Access not permitted, exterior view only. Tours seemingly in September only. Lone information board was useful.

Jimmy’s Beard (3 years ago)
Protected but neglected. Even a walk all the way round would be nice. It’s secured with bricks gates and fencing . Great access to the information board though .

macedonboy (5 years ago)
Visited this tower house back in August. This type of building served as both residence and fortification in remote or inaccessible land, and were once quite common to Scotland. This one belonged to various minor nobles including de Annand, Schaw and Cathcart families before ending up in ownership to the Earl of Mansfield. This tower house is not open to the public, but there is some history and interpretation on the information boards on-site. One interesting feature is the roof of the house which looks like an early example of Scottish Baronial architecture by adding a tower type extension on the room. I do enjoy Scottish history, so it was only a small detour, otherwise Alloa Tower would be a better site to visit to see a good example of a Scottish tower house.

John James (5 years ago)
It's interesting enough if you're passing

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