Plate G7.no23: Dryhope Tower – St Marys Loch (Scotland)

Dryhope Towerhouse has a checkered past – but that’s not uncommon for Scottish tower houses. Scotland’s history is plagued by strife, often caused by shifting allegiances. The buildings took the brunt, especially when owned by or deemed to be in the control of a particular clan, family or individual.
This tower house was built in 1535. It’s been through the wars, literally.
The thing though that persists is the resolution obvious in its conception. Like all tower houses, it is robust – and austere. This is brutalism in all its glory. I personally don’t see any difference between this and any contemporary modern piece of brutalist architecture, and I have absolutely no doubt that if concrete had been available in 1535 this building would not have been built in stone.