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Dumbarton Rock: the Portcullis Arch

[This is one of a linked series of articles about Dumbarton Rock. See the end of Link for a list of the reference works that are cited here in abbreviated form.]

As mentioned in the article about the Guard House ( Link ), there is a narrow defile that ascends the southern side of the Rock, between the two peaks. It leads from a low terrace where the present-day Governor's House stands (in the medieval castle, this area was referred to as the Nether Bailey), to a high terrace on the area between the peaks (this area was known as the Over Bailey). There were two defensive structures spanning this defile at different heights; of these, the upper barrier was the Portcullis Arch, which is shown here [OSG07, p5, 9].

This probably dates to the fourteenth century; it is the oldest surviving structure on the Rock. Its function is two-fold: not only does it defend this narrow southern cleft, but it also served as a bridge providing easier access to a watch-tower (called the White Tower) which is now completely destroyed, but which once stood on the western peak of the Rock (that peak is still known as White Tower Crag) [OSG92, p16; HD, p73].

Even in the present-day layout of the castle, steps on top of the Portcullis Arch are the means of reaching the summit of the western peak; note the railings that are visible on top of the arch.

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