Jackdaw Village

Hailes Castle  -   East Lothian

The original  building,a tower house,was begun in the late twelve hundreds by Hugo de Gourley
 and over the following 300 hundred years subsequent owners added extensions to fit their needs.

Today it is home to families of Jackdaws and the ghostly "Lady in White" 

Jackdaw's nest in a niche high in the Great Hall
Noisy chicks exercise their vocal chords out of  danger's way.
This was one of many nests in out of reach spaces in the walls. These birds are known
for collecting shiny objects while nest building. When I was a child a friend and I spent hours searching in
old buildings and climbing trees looking for jewels which we were sure had been secreted away in Jackdaw nests
....but we never found the treasure!
  

Information board illustration

Above  -  The Medieval lord's table
Below  -  How the castle may have looked in the 16th century

The buildings are in a very ruined state and no decorative features remain.

Inner courtyard with the 13th century protective curtain wall on the left.
Behind the wall a water filled ditch added further protection on the landward side.

The tower block

Pigeon nesting compartments above the dungeon
 Pigeons would have been a convenient source of food for the household

Farmland viewed from the back of the building,overlooking the River Tyne

19th century cottage on the perimeter the castle grounds.

I found these ladies on Pinterest - at some point their dress would have suited the setting.
They certainly look aristocratic!

Thank you for visiting





Shared with :    All Seasons    Mosaic Monday   Our World Tuesday   Tuesday's Treasures

Image 1  -  Jackdaw - image source Wikipedia