approximately , and high to the corbelled parapet. It was built on a stone 'plinth' in order to support the structure on what was a marshy site. The entrance to the tower still retains the original yett, an iron lattice gate, in front of the door. This leads through walls up to thick into a vaulted cellar with a well and two spiral stairs leading up. The main stair at the north-east corner leads up to a cap-house at parapet level, while the second serves the high-table end of the first floor hall. The hall is dominated by a large fireplace, with the Royal Arms of Scotland carved above it. Next to the fireplace is an elaborately decorated aumbry (a ceremonial recess), with a carved cinquefoil surround that attests to the relative wealth of the Murrays. A separate fireplace at the opposite end of the hall would have served the narrow kitchen, and would have been separated from the hall by a timber screen where a wall now stands. Heraldic emblems are carved onto several projecting corbels. Similarities in the design and layout of Comlongon's hall with that of Elphinstone Tower in Lothian, have led to suggestions that two further storeys lie above the hall, with parapet walks at roof level. The western parapet was roofed over before 1624, when a surviving inventory was taken, creating a gallery with crow-stepped gables. A similar structure was built over the south-east corner, giving the south facade a symmetrical appearance. The upper storeys were also subdivided before this time. The thick walls are riddled with 12 mural chambers including bed recesses as well as a guardroom, with a cell beyond, and a trapdoor which gives access to a grim unlit dungeon below. The presence of these rooms within the walls reduces the overall strength of the tower, which has had to be reinforced to support the weight of its roof. A walled courtyard and ditch, possibly a moat, once surrounded the tower, although this was removed in the early 18th century when the mansion house was added to the east side of the tower. The Scottish Baronial mansion reflects the style of the earlier tower, with many crowsteps and corbels, and incorporates 18th-century interior features. Comlongon Castle and the tower house are category A listed buildings. References Further reading Coventry, Martin The Castles of Scotland (3rd Edition), Goblinshead, 2001 Gifford, John The Buildings