Lochleven Castle Facts

A nine-minute ferry trip from Kinross brings one to Castle Island. The Lochleven Castle comprises a 14th-century square keep with curtain walling.

The gateway in the wall leads to the courtyard, and a doorway leads to the vaulted ground floor of the tower.

The third floor, now gone, was used as Mary, Queen of Scots’ prison cell from 17 June 1567 until 2 May 1568. She had visited previously in 1563 and on her honeymoon in 1565. One window has an oratory.

Lochleven Castle was built by the Douglases, who held it until 1672. The Bruces, Grahams, and Montgomerys later owned it. It was taken into state care in 1939.

Lochleven Castle Location

Lochleven Castle Address: Kinross and Angus, Kinross KY13 8UF, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Lochleven Castle Map

The post Lochleven Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Originally known as Ruthven Castle, there were actually two towers here, standing side by side.

Huntingtower Castle History

In the 17th century these were joined when the space was built up, but from the inside the two distinct towers can be seen.

A vaulted room on the ground floor makes the entrance to the East Tower. The first-floor hall has unique painted ceilings and walls dating from the 16th century.

The turnpike continues to the battlement walk, where the roof is slated with slabs of stone. A wooden ramp connects with the first floor of the west tower, the ground floor being the custodian’s flat.

The wooden floors are missing here, but the turnpike can be climbed to the parapet, which has a small dovecote and cap-house. This tower is now home to 200 bats.

The Ruthvens built Ruthven Castle in the 15th century, and the western tower was erected in the early 16th century, perhaps for their heir. In 1600 the Crown following the Gowry Conspiracy confiscated the castle.

It was renamed Huntingtower, and the Murrays were installed as keepers. They acquired the castle in 1663, becoming Dukes of Atholl, and used the building in preference to Blair Castle.

Sold in 1805, the castle was taken into state care in 1912.

Huntingtower Castle Location

Huntingtower Castle Address: Crieff Road, Perth PH1 3JL, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Huntingtower Castle Map

The post Huntingtower Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Glamis Castle is a large chateau-like castle, owned by the Lyon and Bowes-Lyon family for almost eight centuries. It has close Royal connections as Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother is a member of the family, and her daughter Princess Margaret was born here.

Glamis Castle Tours

Guided tours take one through sumptuously furnished rooms, commencing with the dining room in a wing of 1798. The vaulted crypt is in the original tower, and a secret chamber is said to be located here.

A minor stair leads down to the castle well. The principal, wide, turnpike dates to 1600, and leads up to the drawing room in what was the great hall. Also vaulted, it has a plaster ceiling and a great fireplace.

The chapel has amazing painted panels from 1688 by Jacob de Wet. These depict the saints of Christ, with St Simon wearing glasses and Christ donning a hat!

Three rooms make up the Royal Apartments. They were converted in 1923 following the marriage of Lady Elizabeth to Prince (later King) George. Duncan’s Hall is where Macbeth slew Duncan, according to Shakespeare. It is a plain vault with a prison in it.

The Blue Room is now an exhibition room with notable family relics, including the watch left by the Old Pretender in the castle. The coach house has another exhibition on estate life past and present. Glamis Castle has many ghostly legends.

Glamis Castle Location

Glamis Castle Address: Dundee Rd, Glamis, Forfar DD8 1RJ, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Glamis Castle Map

The post Glamis Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

An attractive and elaborate tower, Elcho stands on a low rock overlooking the Tay.

Elcho Castle History

Built-in the latter half of the 16th century for the Wemyss family, it is owned by the Earl of Wemyss and March, though it has been in state care since 1929.

There are remains of a courtyard, with a chapel and a round tower with a kiln.

West of the castle is an old orchard. An old quarry on the north front of the castle may have been the source for the stone, but where the dressed stone came from is unknown.

An old dovecote is positioned near the farm. The doorway with gate, in the re-entrant leads to the ground floor that has three vaults – the kitchen with a serving hatch and a bread oven and cellars.

A wide turnpike leads to the first floor, where the great hall and the laird’s chamber are. Three lesser turnpikes lead to the upper floors, a number of which are missing, though old joists survive.

The stairs reach the parapet walks, with two small rooms with fireplaces at the tower heads that are reached from the wall walk.

The Elcho Castle has a wide selection of latrines, one of which is located at the top of a turnpike stair.

Elcho Castle Location

Elcho Castle Address: Perth PH2 8QQ, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Elcho Castle Map

The post Elcho Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Edzell Castle History

The oldest part of the castle is the L-planned tower of the early 16th century, which is built in rich red sandstone. This was added to the north where the entrance pend passes beneath what was once a large hall, long since ruined.

In 1602-04 Lord Edzell added the northwest tower. The castle was probably never finished, and the Northeast range is incomplete. It is thought that Lord Edzell became more interested in his garden than the castle.

Edzell was the seat of the Lindsays of Glenesk who acquired the lands by marriage in 1358. Previously owners were the Stirlings, their motte visible from the present castle.

A fragment of an early Christian cross found nearby is located in the Summer House. Mary, Queen of Scots visited in August 1562. Cromwell took the castle in 1651. The Lindsays retained Edzell until 1715 when David sold it to the Earl of Panmure. He was deprived of his estates for his Jacobite adherences.

The Edzell Castle was stripped for building materials in 1764, and one of the turrets can still be pointed out in Edzell village. Ownership passed to the Earl of Dalhousie whose descendant still retains it.

It is actually the garden at Edzell which seems to be more important than the Edzell Castle itself.

Edzell Castle’s garden has a large enclosed area, and the walls are adorned with numerous carvings of Planetary Deities, Liberal Arts, and Cardinal Virtues.

These are actually now resin casts of the originals, which are located in the delectable Summer House of 1604.

The garden dates from this time, being laid out by Sir David Lindsay, Lord Edzell, but the present parterre was the work of the Ancient Monuments Board in 1932 when the garden was taken into state care.

At the opposite corner of the garden from the Summer House are the scanty remains of the bathhouse, with the well surviving in the thickness of the wall.

Edzell Castle Location

Edzell Castle Address: Edzell, Brechin, Angus DD9 7UE. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Edzell Castle Map

The post Edzell Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Castle Menzies is the home of the Menzies clan.

Castle Menzies History

The Castle Menzies is a particularly fine Z-plan tower house of around 1571-1577, built of local stone with blue slate dressings. It replaced a castle burned to the ground in 1502.

The decorative Victorian porch leads to the ground floor of the main block, which is a series of vaulted chambers. Prince Charlie’s Room is where the Young Pretender slept two nights en route to Culloden, on the 4th and 5th of February 1746.

The main room has a restored plaster ceiling and a selection of museum cases. The anteroom contains a display of objects which includes Bonnie Prince Charlie’s death mask, Bibles, bells, and pewterware.

A passage leads to the west wing of 1840, designed by William Burn, which is being restored. On the ground floor is a tearoom in what was once the servants’ parlor.

Externally the building is noted for its decorative pediments, armorial panels, and numerous shot holes.

Castle Menzies was built on ancient Menzies’ homelands and was owned by the chiefs until 1918.

After passing through various hands it was acquired by the Menzies Clan Society in 1957, from which time restoration work has taken place.

Castle Menzies Location

Castle Menzies Address: Weem, Aberfeldy PH15 2JD. Get help with directions using the map below:

Castle Menzies Map

The post Castle Menzies appeared first on Every Castle.

Burleigh Castle stands by the roadside, east of Milnathort.

Burleigh Castle History

Built of red sandstone, the original tower of about 1500 still stands today together with a small tower dated 1582 and a stretch of connecting curtain wall, with a gateway through it.

The remainder of the barbican has long since been removed, as have lesser buildings that were built against the wall.

The old tower has a vaulted basement and a stairway to the first floor located in the northeast corner which projects into the rooms. The upper floors are gone, but large corbels for carrying the joists survive, some with masons’ marks. There are garderobes off the two upper floors.

The second tower of Burleigh Castle is basically circular in plan, but a small stairway projects outside the circumference. On the second floor, the tower is corbelled out to the square, to support the surviving roof. The arms of Sir James Balfour of Pittendreich and Margaret Balfour of Burleigh adorn a skewputt.

The Balfours owned Burleigh from 1446. King James IV was a regular visitor at one time. In 1709 the Master of Burleigh was sentenced to death for murdering the Dominic of Inverkeithing, but he escaped prison dressed as his sister. He later became a fervent Jacobite and, in disgrace, his Baron of Burleigh title was attainted until 1868.

Burleigh Castle Location

Address: Burleigh Castle Steading, Milnathort, Kinross, Perth and Kinross KY13 9GG, UK. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Burleigh Castle Map

The post Burleigh Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Built to guard the Firth of Tay, Broughty Castle looks today to be a fine tower house that dates to around 1454, when the 4th Earl of Angus was granted permission by James II to erect one.

Broughty Castle History

However, the upper walls of the tower, as well as the present stair turret, date from 1860-61, and were built when the country feared an attack from France. Robert Rowand Anderson designed the restorations.

A drawbridge (with a large chain and weights) over the dry ditch leads to the courtyard, the walls of which date from the 1860s.

The rooms in the castle are now used for museum exhibits, displaying examples of militaria, whaling, fishing, lifeboats, railways, ferries, sea life, and local history. The 4th floor has a small observation room, added in 1942.

Broughty passed to the Gray family around 1490, and they remained the owners until 1666. The Fothringhams then acquired it, but in 1787 Robert Burns noted it was a ruin.

The Broughty Castle was subject to an attack in 1547, though it surrendered without firing a shot in anger. It remained in English hands until 1560 when it surrendered to a Franco-Scots army.

Facts
In modern times the castle has been a garrison for various regiments, being armed with guns during both World Wars. It was converted into a museum in 1969.

Broughty Castle Location

Address: Broughty Castle, Broughty Ferry, Dundee, Dundee City DD5 2TF, UK. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Broughty Castle Map

The post Broughty Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Blair Castle History

The Cumming family built the first castle in 1269 and part of this still survives. In 1457 James II granted Blair to Sir John Stewart of Balvenie. It passed to the Murrays in 1629.

The Blair Castle was extended in 1503, but in 1768 it was partially demolished and rebuilt as a Georgian mansion, known as Atholl House.

However, in 1869 David Bryce remodeled the castle in its current neo-baronial manner and copied the entrance tower from Fyvie Castle. The white-painted towers and turrets are visible from miles around.

Cromwell’s men attacked the castle in 1633. In 1746 Blair was attacked by General Lord George Murray to remove the Hanoverians, the last British castle to suffer a siege.

The Duke of Atholl is the only person in Britain to retain a private army, the Atholl Highlanders, who parade on certain days throughout the year.

Blair Castle Tour
This vast baronial mansion has 32 rooms open to the public, ranging from tiny turrets to a large dining room and ballroom.

Each one is packed with the Murray family’s collection of treasures and lesser artifacts built up over many centuries. These include things as diverse as Jacobite relics to a Norwegian sleigh.

Blair Castle Location

Blair Castle Address: Blair Atholl, Pitlochry, Perthshire PH18 5TL, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Blair Castle Map

The post Blair Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

History of Balvaird Castle

Balvaird Castle was built by Sir Andrew Murray in 1500. The courtyard range and vaulted gateway were added in 1567, with a guardroom.

The Murrays became Viscounts Stormont and Earls of Mansfield, moving to Scone Palace, but this castle remains in their ownership, though it is in state care.

Balvaird Castle is an attractive tower house perched on a low knoll of the eastern Ochil Hills. It is reached by a track from the public road.

Built with sandstone dressings, the tower is complete but only open occasionally.

The courtyard buildings are accessible but are in ruins. The tower is of the L-plan, with an entrance door in the re-entrant. The wall head has a corbelled parapet, and the turret corbels have small faces below them.

Another carved face is located on the north wall. Within the hall is an aumbry that was probably taken from a monastery. There is a pit in the vaulted ground floor, and the latrines are all connected to one chute, flushed with water, which is diverted, from the roof.

A cap-house at the top of the stairway gives access to the parapet walk. To the east of the castle is the former pleasance, or orchard, and the garden lies to the south.

Balvaird Castle Location

Balvaird Castle is situated in the region of Perthshire, on the A912 road, between Gateside and Aberagie. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Balvaird Castle Map

The post Balvaird Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

The Balhousie Castle that one sees today is basically a neo-baronial mansion of 1862, designed by David Smart and built for the Earl of Kinnoull.

Balhousie Castle History

The entrance is located in the re-entrant tower, over which are hay armorial panels.

If one walks to the east façade of the Balhousie Castle, which overlooks the North Inch, one can make out the original castle, the stonework not being so fine.

Here one can see the turnpike stair, the thickness causing a projection in the wall, corbelled out at the first-floor level.

The ancient castle of Balhousie was owned by the Eviots, but in 1625 was acquired by Francis Hay.

The army acquired the Balhousie Castle after World War II and since 1962 has been the headquarters and regimental Museum of the Black Watch.

There are seven museum rooms open to the public, crammed with all sorts of memorabilia, medals, pictures, and uniforms.

Balhousie Castle Location

Black Watch Castle & Museum – Address: Hay Street, Perth PH1, United Kingdom. get help with directions:

Balhousie Castle Map

The post Balhousie Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Newark Castle is a very attractive tower house built on the shores of the Clyde but now with a shipyard to one side. Other yards were located to the east, but this land is now a park. There is a dovecote on the Clyde side of the tower.

Newark Castle History

The oldest parts are the tower and gateway of the 15th century. Patrick Maxwell, whose monogram is over the door, added the connecting range in 1597-1599

Dressed sandstone moldings surround the windows, and the north front is symmetrical. The castle has a fine selection of rooms to explore, the ground floor having six vaults that are open, including a bakehouse, a kitchen, and a wine cellar.

A wide-scale stair leads to the first floor, where the great hall, with a grand fireplace, is furnished with replica items. On the floor above is a long gallery with a display of old prints of Port Glasgow and a bust of John Wood, a shipbuilder.

George Maxwell built Newark’s old tower around 1484 and James IV visited in 1495. In 1668 George Maxwell sold the ground to allow the erection of Port Glasgow.

The castle was sold in 1694 and subsequently leased to tenants.

Newark Castle Location

Newark Castle Address: Port Glasgow, PA14 5NH, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Newark Castle Map

The post Newark Castle, Port Glasgow appeared first on Every Castle.

Balfour Castle is a spectacular example of Victorian architecture.

Balfour Castle History

Balfour is complete with every detail of its original fixtures and furniture dating back to the 1840s, with gilded plaster ceilings, handmade wallpaper, and marble fireplaces.

Set on seventy acres of wooded grounds, Balfour has panoramic views of surrounding islands. Its location is perfect for trips to other islands and to the “mainland” of Orkney to visit Skara Brae, Maes Howe, and dozens of other fascinating archaeological sites.
Balfour Castle is on the southeast tip of the Isle of Shapinsay. The ferry to Shapinsay leaves from Kirkwall and takes approx. 25mins.

Balfour Castle is open for guests, as it currently is a hotel.

Balfour Castle Location

Address: Balfour Castle, Balfour, Orkney, Orkney Islands KW17 2DY, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Balfour Castle Map

The post Balfour Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Spectacularly located on its cliff top, Tantallon Castle shows a massive sandstone wall to the landward.

Tantallon Castle History

Outwith this are earthworks, a dovecote, and an outer gate. A bridge across the ditch enters the Mid Tower, formerly the home of the keeper.

Great walls extend to either side of this and the stairway leads to the high battlements. A further stair in the Mid Tower leads to the airy turret which has views of the castle and across the Forth to the Bass Rock.

The East Tower is partially ruined. Formerly it was five stories in height, but one room is still roofed and has a replica gun in place.

The western tower was the laird’s residence and is known as the Douglas Tower. Formerly six stories tall, only the lower floors are now hale – the vaulted prison and garderobe.

The two terminal towers have been ruinous since the attack by Cromwell in 1651.

Within the courtyard is a 100 feet deep well, an incomplete sea gate, and the west wing with a brew house, and a kitchen with its oven. Over the vaults is the hall, with the profile of the roof timbers surviving in stone.

The “Red” Douglases built Tantallon in the 14th century. The castle was attacked in 1528 by King James V but was rebuilt. Queen Victoria visited in 1878. It was taken into state care in 1924

Tantallon Castle Location

Address: Tantallon Castle, North Berwick, EH39 5PN, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Tantallon Castle Map

The post Tantallon Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

History of Palace of Holyroodhouse

Palace of Holyroodhouse, also known as Holyrood Palace was originally built by James IV of Scotland between 1501 and 1505, as a Gothic palace adjacent to the 12th-century abbey.

The Old Holyroodhouse

The oldest part of the present building is the massive north-west tower, built between 1528 and 1532 by William Aytoun for James V. Two carved panels have been inserted in the tower, relics of earlier panels, one with the arms of Mary of Guise, second consort of James V, and the other with a background of thistles and a unicorn in full relief, the Royal Arms of Scotland.

Except for this tower, the entire 16th-century palace was destroyed by an English army in 1544. Over a century later the building remained semi-derelict, and the decision to re-create a palace on the site was taken by Charles II of England and Scotland (1660-1685).

The contract to rebuild the Palace of Holyroodhouse is dated March 1672. Responsibility for the work was shared by Sir William Bruce, His Majesty’s Surveyor-General in Scotland, and Robert Mylne, His Majesty’s Master Mason in Scotland. Bruce acted as superintendent and overseer, but his connection with the work seems to have ended in 1678.

The original sketch plan seems to have been by Mylne, but several alterations had to be made on the express orders of the King. The proposed ‘low vaulted Chappell’ was converted into a large vaulted cellar, and the number of royal apartments was reduced from three to two.

The King also ordered that a passage be made to connect the old royal chambers in the northwest tower to the new royal chambers in the east wing; this passage became the great gallery. These alterations made the internal arrangements of the palace far more orderly and convenient.

The New Holyroodhouse

The present Holyroodhouse Palace is of a quadrangular form, with an open court in the center, nearly 30 m square. It is built entirely of local stone, some of it reused.

The west front consists of the original castellated tower, four stories in height, its windows enlarged to suit 17th-century taste; a second tower very similar to the first; and the two towers joined by a low screen of two stories, with a platform roof and double balustrade.

Both towers have three circular turrets at their exterior angles, rising from the ground to the battlements and topped with conical roofs; the fourth angle of each tower is concealed by the building that surrounds the inner court. In the middle of the connecting screen is the entrance, ornamented by four Doric columns, which support an octagonal cupola surmounted by an imperial crown.

Beneath the cupola is a clock, its face bearing the date 1680, and over the gateway is the Royal Arms of Scotland. The elevation to the east has 17 bays, with superimposed pilaster orders. The north and south elevations are almost featureless. The inner court is surrounded by a handsome arcade, faced with Doric pilasters. On the entablature of these are cut the ensigns of Scottish royalty: the thistle and the crown, the sword, and the scepter.

Between the windows of the second floor, there is a range of Ionic pilasters, and above these an equal number of the Corinthian. On a pediment on the west-facing façade of the court are the royal arms.

At the southwest angle of the court is the large staircase leading to the royal apartments, and on the north side of the building is the great gallery, 45 m long, 7 m broad, and 6 m in height. At one stage a gate with Gothic pillars, arches, and towers joined the palace to the abbey, but this was destroyed in 1755.

The series of staterooms in the south range contains some fine late 17th-century work. In the Morning Drawing Room and the King’s Bedchamber and Closet there are corniced doorcases with acanthus leaf friezes by Alexander Eizat; elaborate drapery and festoons carved by Jan van Santvoort; and very fine ceilings by John Houlbert and George Dunsterfield, with deeply molded plasterwork, drapery, oak leaves and cherubs. The marble mantelpieces are Italian, and there are several French, Flemish, and Italian tapestries.

Between 1740 and 1741 William Adam redecorated and refurnished the apartments of the Duke of Hamilton in the highest style, but this work was almost completely destroyed in the course of later redecorations. In the northwest tower, there are apartments associated with Mary, Queen of Scots. These contain wooden ceilings, probably of the early 16th century, with some painted decorations and friezes in tempera.

Palace of Holyroodhouse Location

Address: Palace of Holyroodhouse, Canongate, Edinburgh, EH8. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Palace of Holyroodhouse Map

The post Palace of Holyroodhouse appeared first on Every Castle.

Lennoxlove Castle History

Lennox Castle or Lennoxlove Castle was named after the Duchess of Lennox – the model for Britannia on pre-decimal coins.

Previously known as Lethington Castle, it was the seat of the Maitland.

The 15th-century tower has a double-story cap house and corbelled parapet. The 1670s east wing was remodeled in the early 19th century.

Lennox Castle passed to Lord Blantyre in the 18th century, and in 1900 to Sir David Baird. His son, William, employed Robert Lorimer to restore the building. The Duke of Hamilton bought the castle in 1946.

Lennoxlove Castle guided tours commence in the front hall, ascending the main stair to the China Room. A bedroom contains a unique four-poster gifted by Princess Pauline, sister of Napoleon.

The Stewart room has portraits of the monarchs; the Damask room has a table gifted by Charles II. The Yellow Sitting Room and Blue Room are, like the rest of the castle, adorned with portraits.

The old tower contains relics of Mary, Queen of Scots, including her death mask, ring, and casket. A side room contains bagpipes, swords, and pipes. The 37ft deep well is passed on the way to the vaulted great hall, which is a magnificent room with Flemish tapestries and a large fireplace. The Bairds added the latter.

The spiral stair descends to the lower vault, now converted into a chapel. Here also is the original gate and dungeon.

A passage with funeral lozenges leads to the 10th-century room, which contains mementos of the Dukes of Hamilton, the Nazi Rudolph Hess, the first flight over Everest, and a collection of early 20th-century motorbikes.

Lennox Castle Location

Lennox Castle Address: Glen Rd, Lennoxtown, Glasgow, East Dunbartonshire G66 7LA, UK

Lennox Castle Map

The post Lennox Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Lauriston Castle is a grade-A-listed building located in Edinburgh.

Lauriston Castle History

As Lauriston exists today, it is a very fine Edwardian mansion. Purchased in 1902 by William Reid of the furniture manufacturer, Morison and Company, the building reflects his interests in furniture, Blue John ornaments, and the arts.

The Lauriston Castle was left to the nation in trust in 1926 and the building has been kept just as it was in the Reids’ time.

Archibald Napier, the father of the inventor of Logarithms, erected the original T-shaped tower, at the South West corner, in the 1590s.

It has four stories, pepperpot turrets, and spiral stairs. The rest of the mansion was added in 1827 to the plans of William Burn, and others later.

Visit Lauriston Castle

Lauriston Castle guided tours of the fully furnished house commence at the stair hall, leading to the inner hall.

The oak room has a secret apartment off it, containing the laird’s lug, and two hidden safes. The library, with its pine ceiling, is a grand room, with a study in the turret and a secret doorway through the bookshelves.

The drawing and sitting rooms afford fine views over the croquet lawns and the Forth to Fife. The house had modern plumbing for its time, as Mrs. Reid’s brother was in that trade. Other owners of Lauriston over the years include the Dalgleish, Laws, and Allans.

Lauriston Castle Location

Address: Lauriston Castle, 2 Cramond Road South, Cramond EH4 6AD, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Lauriston Castle Map

The post Lauriston Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Hailes Castle History

Hailes Castle stands on a rock above the River Tyne, and its oldest parts date from the 13th century.

This is the central tower, built of red sandstone, with the curtain wall to the east of this, and the stairway down to the well.

The tower contains a pit prison but was altered in later years to form a dovecote, the nesting boxes of which still survive. Some are carved from solid stones.

The western tower was added in the late 14th century, as was the rebuilt south curtain wall. This tower has a vaulted basement and pit prison.

Living quarters formerly existed above. In the 15th century, a new block was added between the two towers. Its lower floor was vaulted and contained a bakehouse with an oven and bread trough.

The upper floor was a chapel with aumbry and piscina. A postern leads out to the riverbank. Only the foundations survive of the east range.

The Dunbars, who were Earls of the March, probably built Hailes. The Hepburns added the west tower. In 1567 ownership passed to the Stewarts, followed by the Serons.

It was destroyed in 1650 by Cromwell’s troops and remained in ruins thereafter, though it was used as a granary for a time. The Earl of Balfour passed the building into state care in 1926.

Hailes Castle Location

Hailes Castle Address: Haddington, East Lothian EH41 4PY, UK. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Hailes Castle Map

The post Hailes Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Edinburgh Castle stands on high basalt rock, making use of the natural defenses of the site.

Edinburgh Castle History

Edinburgh Castle was used as a Bronze Age hill fort and during the Roman occupation it was a thriving settlement.

By the eleventh century AD it had become firmly established as one of the principal royal residences in Scotland and Queen Margaret died there in 1093.

Her youngest son, David I, built the earliest surviving part of the castle in his mother’s honor and today St. Margaret’s Chapel is a restrained reminder of the castle’s varied and ancient past.

After the Reformation, it was used as a gunpowder store, but was restored to its present appearance in the nineteenth century and the Romanesque chevron-patterned chancel arch is in good condition.

Because of its importance to the Scottish nation, Edinburgh has been attacked and rebuilt at various times and the military and defensive aspects predominate over the palatial and residential.

The great fourteenth-century L-shaped Tower House of Robert Bruce’s son, David II, was almost flattened by the ‘Lang Siege’ of 1571-3 and its base is now hidden by the Half-Moon Battery, built to restore the defenses of the castle after the siege.

Other earlier buildings around the Crown Square, once the center of the Renaissance Palace at Edinburgh, was subsequently used as military barracks (in the Great Hall) and altered to accommodate the headquarters of the Regiments that came to be based here after the center of power went south with King James VI in 1603.

James only returned once to Edinburgh and his son Charles I was the last monarch to sleep at the castle when he stayed overnight before his Scottish Coronation in 1633.

Cromwell’s army made further alterations to the appearance of the castle and the subsequent permanent army based there destroyed and erected buildings without regard for aesthetic or historic concerns.

The massive vaults under the Great Hall were well-used as prisons during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, housing French, American, Spanish, Dutch, German, and Italian prisoners of war.

The focus of the castle began to change however due to the re-emergence of interest in Scottish Heritage in the nineteenth century.

The author Sir Walter Scott applied for and obtained permission from the Prince Regent to search for the missing Scottish Honours, the sixteenth-century Crown Jewels, which had been hidden away following the Treaty of Union in 1707.

He found them safely kept in the castle, just as they had been left 111 years before and they were put on display to the public for the admission price of one shilling.

Further rooms were opened and restoration of the Great Hall, now a magnificent Victorian interior, was carried out. The momentum continued and the main garrison finally left the castle in 1923.

Visit Edinburgh Castle

The Scottish National War Memorial was built in 1923 and is still a moving reminder of the nation’s history of conflict and national pride and heroism.

Each day except Sunday a Second World War 25-pounder gun is fired from the Mills Mount Battery at 1 pm, a time check for the citizens below and a tourist attraction for the castle’s visitors from all over the world.

Each Summer the Edinburgh Military Tattoo takes place on the Esplanade in front of the castle, providing an impressive setting and continuing the military connection.

In 1996, on St. Andrew’s Day, the Stone of Scone, or Destiny, was returned from its seven hundred-year exile in Westminster Abbey in London to Edinburgh Castle, to be on display with the Honours and thus reinforcing the royal connection of the castle.

Edinburgh Castle Location

Edinburgh Castle Address: Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh EH1, UK. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Edinburgh Castle Map

The post Edinburgh Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Dundas Castle History

Dundas Castle is truly a castle of which dreams are made. Dundas is one of Scotland’s most beautiful castles.

The castle is located only eight miles from the city center of Edinburgh, six miles from the airport, and within an hour’s drive from Glasgow, Stirling, and Perth.

The Auld Keep at Dundas dates back to the 14th century and the ‘modem’ Castle, built in 1818, is the work of the great Scottish architect William Burn. The main part of the Castle has recently been restored and beautifully redecorated. It is now truly a fairytale castle of great comfort.

Dundas Castle is set in a park of outstanding beauty with views across the River Forth to the North and the Pentland Hills to the South. The grounds include spreading lawns and long driveways lined with rhododendrons, which are a panoply of colors in the Summer.

Dundas Castle Location

Dundas Castle Address: Queensferry, Edinburgh, Lothian EH30 9SP, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Dundas Castle Map

The post Dundas Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

The village of Dirleton is dominated by the imposing remains of Dirleton Castle, which dates from the 12th century.

Dirleton Castle History

Ruinous since Cromwell’s unwelcome attentions in the 17th century, it was once the heart of the major Scottish estates of the De Vaux and Halliburton families.

In the 12th century, the Norman family of De Vaux was gifted this part of Scotland under the patronage of David I. Under the civilizing and pious influence of his English wife, Margaret, he was attempting to infuse his primitive subjects with more cultured interests.

The De Vaux built the castle around 1270, just in time to be occupied by the English for 20 years during Scotland’s War of Independence. It was recaptured by The Bruce in the aftermath of William (“Braveheart”) Wallace’s struggles to free his country.

The castle was then passed to the Haliburton family, who extensively rebuilt it throughout the 15th century. In the chaos of loyalties that surrounded the era of Mary Queen of Scots, the Dirleton Castle was forfeited around 1566 and passed to the Ruthven family who were soon embroiled in dark deeds like the Ruthven Raid and the Gowrie conspiracy.

By 1650, military works of this nature had become obsolete and the final blow to its usefulness was made by Cromwell’s General Monk who stormed the place in 1660 to eliminate moss troopers who were using it as a base.

Dirleton Castle Location

Address: Dirleton Castle and Gardens, Dirleton EH39 5ER, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Dirleton Castle Map

The post Dirleton Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

A track from Crichton Church leads south to Crichton Castle, which is a large and impressive structure perched above the Tyne.

Crichton Castle History

The oldest part, the tower on the east front, was erected by John Crichton in 1400 and was vaulted.

A prison was located on the lower floor. His son, Chancellor Crichton, added a fine range to the south and created a new entrance pend, vaulted stores, and a new hall above.

Externally the Crichton Castle is noted for its oriel window, corbel courses, turrets, arches, and large corbels. Just south of the castle is the old stable block, with its horseshoe window a distinctive feature.

The buttresses are additions, making it look like a chapel, for which it has been mistaken in the past.

Crichton was the seat of the Crichton of that Ilk until 1483. James IV gave Sir Patrick Hepburn the barony, along with the earldom of Bothwell. Mary, Queen of Scots attended a wedding here in 1562.

The Earldom passed to the Stewarts, as did the castle, until around 1650. In 1926 Henry Burns Callander placed the castle into care.

Crichton Castle Location

Crichton Castle Address: Crichton, Pathhead, Midlothian EH37 5XA, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Crichton Castle Map

The post Crichton Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Craigmillar Castle stands on a 300 feet hill on the southern side of Edinburgh.

Craigmillar Castle History

Built-in the 15th century by the Prestons, it was sold in 1660 to the Gilmours.

The L-shaped tower is the oldest part, and a curtain wall and other ranges were added in the late 15th and 16th centuries. On either side of the outer courtyard are a chapel and church.

The former dates from 1520 and contains Gilmour graves; the latter was formed in 1687 from a 16th-century block. On the south side of the castle is a dry fishpond.

Craigmillar Castle was burned in 1544 but rebuilt. Mary, Queen of Scots, was a regular visitor, and it was here the plot to kill Darnley was laid.

The Castle Today
The castle was in ruins by the 18th century when the Gilmours moved to The Inch, and proposals in 1842 to restore it as the Scottish home of Queen Victoria came to nothing. It was placed in care in 1946.

Craigmillar Castle Location

Address: Craigmillar Castle Road, Edinburgh EH16 4SY, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Craigmillar Castle Map

The post Craigmillar Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Likened to a ship from its shape and location, Blackness Castle has been a place of defense from when it was built in the 1440s until after World War I.

Blackness Castle History

Originally built by the Crichtons, it was gifted to the Crown in 1453 and used as a State Prison until 1707; as a Garrison until 1870, and then as an ammunition depot until 1912, when it was placed into care.

The Blackness Castle strengthened in the 16th century as an artillery fortress and was besieged by Cromwell in 1650.

One of the many folks imprisoned here, the list includes Cardinal Beaton, Lord Ochiltree, John Welsh, and Adam Blackadder, who complained that the dungeon was ‘full of paddocks (frogs) and toads’.

The outer courtyard at Blackness contains barracks and officers’ quarters. The castle proper has a Stern, or South Tower, Central Tower, and North Tower that contains a prison and pit.

The Central Tower is a four-story block with a turnpike at the corner, the lowest floor having a great boss of rock in it. Extensive views are obtained from the parapet.

The South Tower has many vaulted rooms and replica windows, and the great hall has window seats, a minstrel’s gallery, and an adjoining kitchen.

The courtyard wall has a parapet walk that can be airy above the crashing waves of the Firth of Forth.

Blackness Castle Location

Blackness Castle Address: Blackness, Linlithgow EH49 7NH, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Blackness Castle Map

The post Blackness Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Bothwell Castle History

Bothwell Castle was built by the Morays and passed to Douglas ownership in 1362. It was forfeited to the Crown in 1445.

The castle was acquired by the Douglas Earl of Forfar in 1669 and used as a quarry for his new house. It was passed into state care by the Earls of Home in 1935.

Built of red sandstone on an outcrop in a bend of the Clyde, Bothwell is one of the most important early castles in Scotland.

There remains part of the great 13th-century round tower, formerly having four floors, and decorated with ornate stonework. This tower was partially demolished in 1337, but a straight wall was built across one side bringing it back into use.

The inner courtyard lies beyond the ditch, and at the east end was a great hall with traceried windows over three vaults. The hall had a large dais window and a minstrel’s gallery.

Remains of the earlier hall can be seen below in the turnpike and service stairs, and former fireplaces. The chapel was at the first-floor level, with the piscina, Holy Water stoup, and sacrament house still surviving.

The Bothwell Castle sports a former portcullis and drawbridge mechanism. Some stone shots and cannonballs, along with various carved stones found during excavations, are to be found in one of the vaults.

Bothwell Castle Location

Address: Bothwell Castle, Castle Avenue, Bothwell, Glasgow, G71 8BL, United Kingdom. Get help with directions:

Bothwell Castle Map

The post Bothwell Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Urquhart Castle History

The first castle was built for Alan Durward, son-in-law of Alexander II, in the 13th century. In 1275 ownership passed to John Comyn but the English captured it in 1296.

It passed to and fro for a number of years until in 1308 Robert the Bruce gave it to his nephew, Sir Thomas Randolph. It returned to Crown hands in 1346 but was continually being captured by the Lords of the Isles.

For a time held by the Grants, the castle was abandoned in 1692.

Romantically situated on Strone Point by the side of Loch Ness, Urquhart Castle is one of the better-known Scottish castles. It has a complicated layout, having been destroyed over many centuries.

From the drawbridge, one enters a large irregular courtyard. To the south is the upper bailey, with various structures, including what is thought to have been a smithy and the base of a round dovecote.

The northern half of the castle has more buildings, and here rises the tower house at the tip of Strone Point. It has five stories, though some floors have gone, reached by a turnpike stair.

The great hall was located over the kitchen in a separate block, rising above a cliff. In the middle of the nether baileys, on a low mound, stood what was probably the chapel.

Urquhart Castle Location

Urquhart Castle Address: Drumnadrochit, IV63 6XJ, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Urquhart Castle Map

The post Urquhart Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Located at Stromemore, four miles south of Lochcarron village, Strome Castle is today a fragmentary ruin.

Strome Castle History

Built on a low headland projecting into Loch Carron, the castle dates from at least the mid-15th century, for in 1472 Alan MacDonald Dubh, 12th Chief of the Camerons, was appointed Constable of Strome by the Lord of Lochalsh.

It passed through the female line to the MacDonalds of Glengarry.

Strome Castle comprises of a ruinous square tower to the east with a courtyard to the west. This is entered through a gateway on the north wall. A second gateway in the west wall still leads to the headland.

Mr. C W Murray of Couldoran presented Strome to the Trust in 1939.

Strome Castle Location

Address: Strome Castle is located in Stromemore, Highland, UK (3,5 miles S-W from Lochcarron)

Strome Castle Map

The post Strome Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

The Dunvegan Castle is built on a rock headland projecting to Loch Dunvegan, and it has a Gothic appearance.

Dunvegan Castle History

The castle disguises a much older building, however, and parts of it date back to the 13th century.

The wall around the courtyard (which has a well and steps down to the sea gate) dates from this time.

The keep was erected in the 14th century, the Fairy Tower around 1500. Later additions date from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.

The present appearance is due to the alterations made by Robert Brown for the 25th Chief, Norman MacLeod, between 1840 and 1850.

The Green Room contains relics of Bonnie Prince Charlie, Flora Macdonald, Rory Mor’s Horn, and the Dunvegan Cup – a 16th-century drinking vessel given by the O’Neills to Rory Mor.

In the vaults below are ancient stones, the great sword of Dunvegan, and an exhibition on the islands of St Kilda, which belonged to the MacLeods for at least four centuries until the 1930s.

Dunvegan has been in MacLeod’s ownership for centuries, and the present owner is the 29th chief and noted singer.

The gardens are attractively laid out around the burn, and boat trips are available in Loch Dunvegan.

Dunvegan Castle Location

Address: Dunvegan Castle, Isle of Skye, Highlands and Islands IV55 8WF, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Dunvegan Castle Map

The post Dunvegan Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Dunrobin is a huge chateau-like castle perched on a rock, below which are extensive and attractive gardens. Its tall ‘candle-snuffer’ turret roofs are a distinctive feature.

Dunrobin Castle History

Built-in stages, the oldest part is the central tower of the 14th century.

The Southwest block was added in 1641, and the south block in 1785. In 1845 the whole castle was remodeled and extended to the plans of Sir Charles Barry, architect of the Houses of Parliament.

Following a fire in 1915, when the castle acted as a naval hospital, Sir Robert Lorimer carried out restoration work and created the present building. From the porte-cochere the entrance hall, covered in the arms of the Sutherland family, is reached.

Next to the Dunrobin Castle’s garden is a museum containing hunting trophies, taxidermy, fossils, medals, archaeological finds, and an important collection of Pictish symbol stones.

The Sutherland family has owned Dunrobin since the 1200s, with the first Earl of Sutherland dying around 1248.

The husband of the 19th Countess was created Duke of Sutherland, but on the death of the 5th Duke, the castle was inherited by his niece, the present Countess.

Dunrobin Castle Location

Dunrobin Castle Address: Golspie, Sutherland KW10 6SF, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Dunrobin Castle Map

The post Dunrobin Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Cawdor is a very fine castle with an ancient keep built around 1380 at its core and is surrounded by lesser wings and three courtyards.

Cawdor Castle History

The vaulted ground floor of the tower still has the remains of a holly tree that grew on the site, and tradition says this is where the builder’s donkey lay down to rest, thus choosing the tower’s location. The keep rises to four main stories, with crenelated parapet and corner turrets.

Entry to the Cawdor Castle is made across a drawbridge. The drawing room (great hall) has a minstrel gallery and many family portraits. The Tapestry Room has fine Flemish tapestries dated 1682. They depict Noah and his family.

The Yellow, Woodcock, and Pink Rooms follow, all sumptuously furnished. The Tartan Passage contains old needlework and a model of the sailing ship Victory.

Off the vaulted Thorn Room is the old dungeon which, when it was discovered in 1979, contained nine tons of rubble. The gate came from Lochindorb Castle. The front stair leads to the dining room and its heraldic fireplace of 1510.

When the stone for this was being brought across the drawbridge it collapsed, injuring 24 men. In this room is preserved a bronze bell of the 9th century, found at Barevan Church.

A modern kitchen of 1971 is followed by the original vaulted kitchen, complete with a large well and copper utensils. The former larder has an unusual tricycle, fire engine, and other relics, many of them from the Victorian period.

In the courtyard, there is a well-stocked bookshop. To the south of the castle are the flowers and wild gardens, and to the north the old walled garden, with a modern maze.

The Calders, Thanes of that Ilk held the lands of “Calder”, until 1510 when they passed by marriage of the then heiress, Muriel, to Sir John Campbell.

The Campbells still own the estate and were created Earls of Cawdor in 1827.

Cawdor Castle Location

Address: Cawdor Castle, Nairn, IV12 5RD, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Cawdor Castle Map

The post Cawdor Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

The 15th-century castle Crookston stands on a mound in the midst of a housing estate.

Crookston Castle History

The knoll has a moat around its top, enclosing a flat courtyard in which stands the castle tower.

The main hall has a parallelogram plan, with a square tower at the corners, two of which are gone.

The third is one story tall, the fourth rises to five floors, and the uppermost was rebuilt in 1847. A series of ladders lead to the viewing platform, affording panoramas over Glasgow.

Crookston was built in the 12th century by Robert de Croc but in 1330 was bought by Sir Alan Stewart.

In 1361 it was granted to his descendant Stewart of Darnley. Henry, Lord Darnley, was noted as the wife of Mary, Queen of Scots; both visited in 1565.

Crookston Castle is in the hands of the National Trust of Scotland since 1931, making it the trust’s first property.

Crookston Castle Location

Crookston Castle Address: 170 Brockburn Road, Glasgow, G53 5RY, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Crookston Castle Map

The post Crookston Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Spynie Castle History

Known also as the Spynie Palace, this was the seat of the Bishops of Moray from 1208 until Reformation, after which the castle became ruinous. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed in 1562.

The castle stands on the edge of what was once the great Spynie sea loch, with a harbor and small village, but this became silted and abandoned.

The great tower or David’s Tower is the most striking feature, rising six stories in height, with walls tapering to the corbels. On the ground floor are vaulted cellars, one of which was the circular vault in a 14th-century castle.

The first-floor doorway leads to the interior, the floors of which have gone. However, one is impressed with the old masonry with the mason’s marks and the modern restoration works which include leaded windows, concrete vaulted corridor, and spiral stairs.

Some old plaster still adorns the walls. The stair leads to the parapet, which affords wide panoramas over the loch and Laich of Moray.

The courtyard is surrounded by ruinous buildings, the most complete of which is the northwest tower, containing a dovecote. The water gate is a notable feature, located between the kitchen ovens and the great hall (dates to 1500).

The great hall has faces carved on two corbels and a deep well at the East End. The east gate dates from the 15th century, and its external appearance is most attractive. The south range is basically now a single wall, but here can be seen an ornate piscina in what was the chapel.

Spynie Palace Location

Address: Spynie Palace, Elgin IV30 5QG, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Spynie Palace Map

The post Spynie Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Kildrummy is one of the finest castle ruins in the north of Scotland. The greatest part of the surviving ruins date from the 13th century and were probably erected by an Earl of Mar.

Kildrummy Castle History

A path from the car park leads to the entrance gateway, reached by a bridge over the Barbican. An English mason, being similar to that at Harlech in Wales may have built the gatehouse. There are another four great towers to the castle, built onto the wall of the enceinte, creating a vast shield-shaped fortress.

The Warden’s Tower is the most complete, the Snow Tower having collapsed in 1805. Between the two is the ruin of the great gall, which was about 65ft long.

The former chapel was a striking building, evidenced by the lancet windows of one gable, which still survives. The need for an easterly orientation resulted in a projection outwith the line of the castle wall. A postern gate allowed an exit to fetch water.

Kildrummy Castle remained in Mar’s hands until 1435 when James I took over the castle. It was then kept as a royal castle and administered by a constable. In 1507 the estates were granted to Lord Elphinstone and remained in his family’s hands until 1626 when they were acquired by the Erskine Earls of Mar.

The Kildrummy Castle was finally abandoned in 1716 when the Earl of Mar escaped to France following his failed Jacobite rebellion. In 1898 James Ogston who did some stabilization work and removal of debris acquired the ruins. He died in 1931 and is commemorated by a plaque on the chapel gable. His niece placed the castle in care in 1951.

Kildrummy Castle Location

Kildrummy Castle Address: Overvilla, Huntly AB54 7XT, United Kingdom. get help with directions using the map provided below:

Kildrummy Castle Map

The post Kildrummy Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Huntly Castle stands currently in ruins, and it is located in the town of Huntly, Aberdeenshire.

Huntly Castle History

The great heraldic doorway is the finest part of Huntly Castle. This rises to 33ft, and contains the arms of the 1st Marquis of Huntly and his wife; the arms of the monarch, James VI, and a device showing the five wounds of Christ and the glory of Christ risen.

Over this is a figure of St Michael. Executed in red sandstone, the ‘frontispiece’ has been described as the ‘most splendid heraldic doorway in the British Isles

Huntly Castle itself is just as interesting, for here can be seen three stages in castle development (the 4th stage, Huntly Castle Lodge, is now a hotel) on the same site.

The motte stands to one side. The foundations of the 15th-century L-planned castle lay within the courtyard, and the 16th-century range forms the greatest remnant.

The lower part of the Huntly Palace range has vaulted cellars and a dungeon with ‘prisoners’. Over this are vaulted kitchen rooms, with the great chamber and hall above.

The round tower contains an inner chamber with a latrine, peephole, and a bed recess. The upper hall and great chamber have impressive heraldic fireplaces.

The south front of Huntly has a unique suite of oriel windows with an inscribed frieze on the upper story, which is almost as fine mason work as the doorway. The Bailey contains ruins of the kitchen, stable, bakery, and brew house.

Huntly Castle was granted to Sir Adam Gordon of Huntly in Berwickshire in the 14th century, after which place the castle was renamed, previously being called Strathbogie.

It remained in the hands of the Gordons thereafter, who were created Earls, then Marquises, of Huntly. The Duke of Richmond and Gordon passed it into care in 1923.

Huntly Castle Location

Huntly Castle Address: Huntly AB54 4SH, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Huntly Castle Map

The post Huntly Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Fyvie Castle History

Now a great Z-plan building, the oldest part of Fyvie Castle dates from the 13th century. Each successive laird has added to the building, to give the Preston, Meldrum, Seton, Gordon, and Leith towers, in order of erection.

Each alteration seems to have added a new kitchen, the older one being converted into something else – the billiard room for example.

The great wheel stair, ten feet wide, is a notable feature of the castle and was built by the 1st Earl of Dunfermline. The whole building is covered with the arms of Lord Leith’s ancestors.

The Fyvie Castle has a curse that causes the death of the laird and the blindness of his wife if he tries and enters the secret chamber below the Charter Room. In this room is a case containing a ‘Weeping Stone’, which over the centuries has oozed water at intervals.

Alexander Leith made his fortune in the Illinois Steel Company and bought the castle in 1885. There are many American associations with the building. Sir Andrew Forbes-Leith sold Fyvie to the Trust in 1984.

Fyvie Castle Location

Address: Fyvie Castle, Fyvie, Turriff AB53 8JS, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Fyvie Castle Map

The post Fyvie Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Dunnottar Castle History

Dunnottar Castle is a vast, impressive ruin perched on a great rocky headland. A steep path leads down the cliffside and up to the entrance gate, protected by large gun loops from the guardroom.

The way continues through two tunnels to the grassed courtyard, with bowling green to the north and a churchyard to the south (with one tiny grave from 1685).

The buildings around the quadrangle and large well comprise the Silver House (re-roofed in 1927), with seven chambers below the 15th-century ballroom.

The north and east range have a series of the Whigs Vault. 122 men and 45 women were imprisoned in the Whigs Vault in 1685, and some died in making an escape. The remains of the 13th-century chapel are the oldest part of the castle.

Over the vaults are the Countess and Marischal suites, the latter with an armorial lintel over the fireplace and old stone clock face. The restored dining room has a memorial over the fire commemorating that the Honours of Scotland (Crown Jewels) were kept here from 1651 until 1652.

Waterston’s Lodging dates from 1574; the stables and smithy are south of it. The keep is of the 14th century, with the lower floor vaulted and the great hall over. Beyond is the Wallace Door of 1297, a small museum room over Benholms’s Lodging, the Lion’s Den, and the descent to entrance pend.

Dunnottar Castle was the seat of the Keiths, Earls Marischal, until 1716 when the 10th Earl had his estates forfeited for his Jacobite adherences.

Sold to the York Buildings Company, the castle was stripped and de-roofed. In 1919 J.W. Guy Innes sold the ruins to Viscountess Cowdray who undertook partial restoration. They remain the property of her descendants.

Dunnottar Castle Location

Dunnottar Castle Address: Stonehaven, Kincardineshire AB39 2TL, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Dunnottar Castle Map

The post Dunnottar Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Drum Castle History

The old tower of Drum is believed to be one of the three oldest towers surviving in Scotland. Adjoining it is a large wing of 1619 and some Victorian additions.

The old tower was the work of Richard Cementarius, Master Mason to the King in the late 13th century.

The ground floor vault has a well. The lands were granted to William Irvine in 1323 by Robert the Bruce and remained in their ownership (latterly Forbes-Irvine) until they were given to the Trust in 1976.

Tours at Drum Castle commence in Victorian times with an oak ceiling. Off it is the Irvine Room, with genealogical books associated with the clan.

The dining room is followed by the Business Room with the Muniment Room off it – it is locked behind a steel door.

Tours continue through the Green Bedroom and closet, the Chintz Room, and Cross Chamber to the vaulted library, located in the light hall of the old tower.

The oldest book is a history of Italy dating from the 16th century. The gallery is a corridor leading back to the main stairs; it contains relics associated with Prince Charlie and Mary, Queen of Scots. On the ground floor are vaulted kitchens, sculleries, and a tearoom.

Closed to the public is the north wing, which contains the former brew house and gateway.
Near the castle is the heavily restored 16th-century chapel.

Drum Castle Location

Drum Castle Address: Drumoak, Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 5EY, UK. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Drum Castle Map

The post Drum Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Delgatie Castle History

Reputedly dating back to around 1030, what stands for Delgatie Castle today dates from 1570-1509. Wings were added in 1743, the most westerly containing a Chapel. The grounds have a garden, the Thomson Memorial Fountain of 1918, and various carved stones.

Delgatie was taken from the Earl of Buchan in 1314 and granted to the Hays, later Earls of Errol. Sold to Garden of Troup in 1763, the Duff Earls of Fife later acquired the estate, but it has since returned to Hay ownership. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed for three days in 1562.

The castle was threatened with demolition but Captain John Hay decided instead to live there and commence its restoration.

The tour of the Delgatie Castle is virtually an ascent of the tall spiral staircase (97 treads), visiting each room, which extends off it.

From the vaulted ground floor, one visits the ballroom with oriole window, the withdrawing room, the anteroom, and Tulip Room, the latter having an old aumbry and painted ceiling beams of 1593.

There are various bedrooms to be seen, especially the Romaise Room which has a painted ceiling of 1597. The bedroom above, called the Attock Fort, has a painted ceiling in 1955!

Delgatie shows its antiquity and its owner’s interest in stonemasonry and heraldry. Various carved stones were the work of John Hay, including Elephant corbels and coats of arms. There are a number of fine portraits, antiques, and cannon.

Delgatie Castle Location

Address: Delgatie Castle, Delgaty, Turriff, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, AB53, 5TD. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Delgatie Castle Map

The post Delgatie Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Crathes Castle History

Construction began on Crathes Castle in the middle of the 16th century, when Alexander and Janet Burnett, with six children, decided they needed and could afford a better home.

Crathes Castle took forty years to build. There were many delays in the construction since this was a time of trouble during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots.

But once completed, the Burnetts retained possession of the castle for over 350 years, until 1952 when the 13th Baronet made over.

Crathes Castle itself and part of the estate to the National Trust for Scotland.
The Crathes Castle Gardens are a horticultural treasure in Scotland.
There are eight separate gardens making up the 3-3/4 acre walled garden.
The great yew hedges were planted in 1702 and are trimmed annually.

Crathes Castle Location

Address: Crathes Castle, Banchory, Aberdeenshire AB31 5QJ, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Crathes Castle Map

The post Crathes Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Corgarff Castle History

Originally part of the Earldom of Mar, James IV annexed the estates in 1435 and granted the ‘Foresta de Corgarf’ to Alexander Elphinstone.

In 1571 Corgarff Castle was set alight, killing Margaret Forbes and 24 others. The Erskines of Mar regained control in 1626. Montrose occupied the building in 1645.

The Jacobites burned it in 1689; the Hanoverians in 1716. It was then granted to the Forbes but in 1748 it was taken over by the Government and converted into a military barracks.

The tower was repaired, pavilions added, and the star-shaped curtain wall erected. Inside its cobbled courtyard is the round cistern. In 1750 40 privateers, three corporals, two sergeants, and a lieutenant occupied the building. It was abandoned by the troops in 1831.

The external stair leads to the first floor where the curator often has a peat fire burning. A wooden stair replaces the stone turnpike, leading to the second floor, which has been restored as a military dormitory, with beds, an eating area, and restored ceiling graffiti!

The upper floors are bare, apart from wall displays, and are sometimes used for exhibitions. The garret is adorned with a Flagstaff.

The ground floor of the tower is vaulted. The west pavilion houses a whisky still, as the castle acted as a distillery and shooting lodge for a time. By the 1900s the building was ruinous. In 1961 Sir Edmund and Lady Stockdale of Delnadamph passed it into care.

Corgarff Castle Location

Corgarff Castle Address: Castle Lodge, Strathdon AB36 8YP, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Corgarff Castle Map

The post Corgarff Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Castle Fraser History

Michael Fraser erected Castle Fraser between 1575-1635 with assistance from Master Mason, Thomas Leiper.

Castle Fraser was known as Muchall-in-Mar until 1695. The castle was completed by his heir, Andrew Fraser, 1st Lord Fraser.

The main block is a Z-plan tower of five stories, to the north of which is a courtyard with double-storeyed ‘Laigh Biggin’s’ and gateway.

The tower has a square and round projection. The latter is of the castle’s most notable features and the roof is reached through an attractive cap-house.

It affords excellent views not only of the surrounding countryside but also of the turrets and roofs of the adjoining buildings.
Tours of the Castle Fraser take one through the vaulted kitchen and light hall.

On the first floor is the great hall with its large fireplace, laird’s lug, and the original doorway, which is now blocked. On the same floor are the dining room and the Peacock Parlour or smoking room.

The latter room is located in the round tower but is square in shape. On the third floor are the Green, North, Worked, and Tower rooms, which are mostly bedrooms.

The fourth floor has the Pink Room, Red and Blue Turrets, and the library (the largest room in the castle). This has a decoration from 1839 when the architect John Smith altered it.

Descending by a second stair one reaches the Bailiff’s Room on the second floor. This has a squint, which looks down into the great hall. A small room adjoining is said to have been a chapel.

Castle Fraser remained in Fraser’s ownership until 1921 when it was bought by the 1st Viscount Cowdray for his son, Hon. Clive Pearson. It passed to his daughter, Lavinia, who married Major Michael Smiley. They gifted the castle to the Trust in 1976.

Castle Fraser Location

Castle Fraser Address: Kemnay, Aberdeenshire AB51, UK. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Castle Fraser Map

The post Castle Fraser appeared first on Every Castle.

The Brodies have been at Brodie Castle since 1160 when Malcolm IV endowed the lands. The 25th Chief, Ninian Brodie of that Ilk, had the castle passed to the

Trust in 1980 but continues to live there and takes an active part in the running of the estate.

Brodie Castle History

Brodie as it stands today owes much to the architect William Burn who enlarged it in 1824. However, the original Z-plan castle of 1567 survives, and the harling blends the various additions beautifully.

In 1645 the castle had been partially destroyed by fire by Lord Lewis Gordon during the Montrose campaigns. Alexander, 19th Brodie, was the Lord Lyon King of Arms, and his family’s interest in arms is clear from those on display.

The policies of 175 acres are also owned by the Trust, and the grounds are richly wooded.

In the spring there is also a magnificent display of daffodils, established by the 24th Laird, who bred over 400 varieties himself.

The ninth-century Rodney Stone, a Pictish symbol stone, stands by the drive.

Brodie Castle Tour

From the entrance hall, with the guardroom off, one enters the library, where the pillars are merely decorative and hold books.

The secondary stair, with its stained glass window of Brodie’s arms, leads to the dining room, the ceiling of which is a rich fenestration of wooden carvings.

The Blue Sitting Room has a vaulted plaster roof. The Red Drawing Room was the castle’s original high hall and is now adorned with a Gothic fireplace.

The drawing room follows, then a series of bedrooms, then a nursery, and on to the main staircase. The kitchen is fitted out to reproduce its look when it was added to the castle in early Victorian times.

Brodie Castle Location

Address: Brodie Castle, Forres, Moray IV36 2TE, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Brodie Castle Map

The post Brodie Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Braemar Castle History

The original tower of the Braemar Castle was erected by John Erskine, Earl of Mar, as a bulwark against the power of the neighboring Farquharsons.

In 1689 John Farquharson of Inverey burned it. Acquired in 1732 by John Farquharson, the castle was leased in 1748 for 99 years to the Government who restored and altered the tower (notably the star-shaped wall and tops of the turrets).

They used it as a garrison for soldiers following the Jacobite rising. John Adam, elder son of William and brother of Robert, all notable Scots architects supervised the alterations.

It was later converted to a private residence, and visited by Queen Victoria.

From the entrance door, one climbs to the dining room which has a few Jacobite relics. Adjoining are the Pink Bedroom, dressing room, and bathroom.

The drawing room has graffiti left by soldiers – Sergeant John Chestnut, 1797, and others. The four-poster room is a bedchamber with two closets in the turrets.

The morning room contains the world’s largest Cairngorm stone, weighing 52 pounds, and Canadian Indian objects.

The vaulted kitchen has various relics including an early fridge. Rooms on the ground floor contain exhibits of military relics, taxidermy, children’s toys, foreign costumes, flags and standards, and Farquharson memorabilia.

There is a charter of 1633 by the Earl of Mar in favor of Farquharson of Invercauld, gates, and a prison. Outside the star wall is a stone cheese press.

Braemar Castle Location

Address: Braemar Castle, Braemar AB35 5XR, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Braemar Castle Map

The post Braemar Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Balvenie Castle is a ruined castle situated near the town of Dufftown.

Balvenie is entered through an unusual double-leafed yett. The pend passes through the 4th Earl of Atholl’s Lodging, which has a fine round tower at the external corner and a smaller stair turret in the inner re-entrant. The cobbled courtyard is surrounded by buildings, some more ruinous than others.

Balvenie Castle History

The Comyns built the original castle, known as Mortlach, in the 12th century.

Part of this may survive in the present courtyard, but alterations were made to it over the centuries. In the 16th century, Balvenie was extended by the addition of a domestic block (to the left of the entrance).

The Atholl lodging was added to the right of this between 1547 and 1557, the windows having decorative stonework and small orioles at the second-floor level. There are heraldic panels on the walls.

The ruinous west range probably dates from the 15th century and then contained a kitchen, brew house, and great chamber with the hall above. Only the low walls of these buildings survive. In the courtyard is a deep well.

Balvenie was originally a Comyn seat, followed by the Douglas’s, but in 1470 it was granted to John Stewart, later 1st Earl of Atholl. Mary, Queen of Scots stayed in 1562. The castle remained in Stewart’s hands until 1610 after which it had numerous owners until bought by Alexander Duff.

The Balvenie Castle was used as a garrison during the Jacobite rebellion but was abandoned following Culloden, as Duff had erected a classical Balvenie House nearby in 1724. The Duke of Fife placed the castle in state care in 1929.

Balvenie Castle Location

Directions: Castle Rd, Moray AB55, UK

Balvenie Castle Map

The post Balvenie Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Ballindalloch is a particularly fine building, located between the towns of Grantown-on-Sprey and Dufftown.

Ballindalloch Castle History

Historically a Grant seat, it became Macpherson-Grant, until the daughter married Oliver Russell. Their son, Guy, has assumed the surname Macpherson-Grant to continue the family name.

The corner tower, which formed a Z-plan castle, was probably built in 1546, which date appears on a fireplace. Since then the Ballindalloch Castle has been extended a number of times – in 1770, 1850, and 1878. The last extension was removed in 1965.

A delightful confection of turrets and dormer windows, Ballindalloch opens a wide selection of rooms to the public. From the entrance hall, with its umbrella ceiling, one enters the drawing room and then the Laird’s Smoking Room.

The library at Ballindalloch Castle has a very fine collection of over 2,500 volumes. The dining room is located in what was the great hall of the original tower and the paneling of pine and the ceiling plasterwork are copied from casts of the ceiling at Craigievar.

The tour continues through the nursery, the Pink Tower, the Old Tower with its spiral staircase which changes direction halfway up, and the dungeon passage.

The ghost of General James Grant who drinks from the wine cellar located in the old dungeon, which still has its heavy door and massive padlock, also haunts the latter corridor. The castle displays a spectacular collection of paintings, furniture, and antiques throughout.

The grounds are extensive, with the lawns spreading down to the confluence of the Avon and Spey. The dovecote is dated 1696 and has 844 nest boxes. Craftsmen work in various buildings on the estate, and there is an audio-visual room.

Ballindalloch Castle Location

Ballandalloch Castle Address: Ballindalloch Estate, Ballindalloch AB37 9AX, United Kingdom. Get help with directions:

Ballindalloch Castle Map

The post Ballindalloch Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

St. Andrews Castle History

St Andrews Castle, located in the Royal Burgh of St. Andrews is less well known than the Cathedral, but it is every bit as interesting.

From the visitor center of St Andrews Castle, one can enter either by a lesser gateway, or else over the bridge and through the Renaissance gateway of 1555-58.

In vaults to either side are the false starts to a counter-mine of 1546-47, which is perhaps the most notable feature of the ruins. It is possible to see in the stonework where the outer wall was strengthened in 1539-71.

The northeast tower has two vaults on the ground floor, the base of a bread oven, and a water gate. The sea tower contains a bottle dungeon 24ft deep, located in a vault. The gate tower has traces of an older gateway (which had a drawbridge) of Bishop Water Traill, 1385-1401. The east range was mostly destroyed by sea erosion and collapsed in 1801.

The mine and counter-mine of 1546-1547 are one of the most unique features of the castle. The Earl of Arran’s men were digging a tunnel into the castle and those within dug outwards to try and stop them. They could only go by sounds passing through the rocks and thus made a few false starts. Nevertheless, the two tunnels did meet. Blocked up for many years, they were only rediscovered in 1879 and today visitors can make their way along the passages.

A stronghold of the bishops of St Andrews Cathedral, the castle passed to the Crown in 1587. By the late 17th century it was in ruins, and the stone was used to rebuild the harbor.

St. Andrews Castle Location

St. Andrews Castle Address: The Scores, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9AR, United Kingdom. Use this map to get directions:

St. Andrews Castle Map

The post St. Andrews Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Tarvit Tower History

Tarvit Tower was erected between 1550 and 1579 for the Inglis but was purchased in 1611 by John Scot who renamed it Scotstarvit. It is his initials and those of his wife, Anne Drummond, which appear on the panel over the cap-house door. He was noted as the author of The Staggering State of the Scots Statesmen.

The estate later passed to the Wemyss family followed by Frederick Sharp in 1904. The castle was placed in care in 1941, and gifted to the National Trust of Scotland in 1949 by Miss E C Sharp.

Scotstarvit (Tarvit Tower) is a very fine and complete ashlar tower built on a rock outcrop, L-shaped in plan, the arched doorway leads to the vaulted ground floor, and the corbels survive for the missing wooden entresol floor.

The turnpike stair in the wing leads to the first-floor hall with its large fireplace, windows with seats, slop-chute, and laird’s lug. The ceiling is of timber. There are some carved stones on the floor here, one from 1723. The second floor is again vaulted, the third having a missing timber ceiling.

There may have been a dovecote in this story, there being two block openings for birds in the walls. A fireplace that existed here is now incorporated into the Hill of Tarvit.

The stair, which is 75 steps high, is followed up to the cap-house, with a stone roof. Over the doorway is a panel with the initials SIS DAD IS AD 1627. The parapet walk can be followed right around the tower, and the roof is of flagstones.

Scotstarvit Tower Location

Directions: A916, Fife KY15. There are directions signs on the road that indicates Scotstarvit Tower.

Scotstarvit Tower Map

The post Scotstarvit Tower appeared first on Every Castle.

Ravenscraig Castle History

Ravenscraig Castle was built on a rocky promontory between two shingle beaches. Two mellow stone towers, with rounded fronts, face the mainland, with a footbridge crossing a dry ditch to the entrance gateway. On the west is the oldest tower.

The East Tower is lower but has deeper foundations. At its base, within the ditch, are steps hewn from the solid rock, originally used to lead horses to a stable.

King James II acquired Ravenscraig in 1460 and the royal mason, Henry Merlzioun, began work. In 1470 James III swapped the castle with Lord Sinclair for the earldom of Orkney. Various other kings have visited. The Sinclairs retained possession until 1898. In 1955 it was taken into state care.

Rowallan is a fine courtyard building, most of which is still roofed. Twin towers at Ravenscraig Castle guard the entrance passage which has a guardroom off it. The castle has numerous decorative features, including cable moldings, armorial panels, gun loops, and decorative stonework.

The Ravenscraig Castle was built by the Mures but was later owned by the Earls of Glasgow and Earls of Loudoun before being acquired by the Corbett Lords Rowallan.

Ravenscraig Castle Location

Address: Ravenscraig Castle Dysart Road, Kirkcaldy KY1 2BB, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Ravenscraig Castle Map

The post Ravenscraig Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Kellie Castle History

The Kellie Castle, which has many turrets, chimneys, carved panels, and corbie-stepped gables, was begun in the 14th century.

The East Tower was added in 1573 – perhaps a courtyard or low buildings were located between. In 1606 the linking block and the Southwest Tower were added. Originally owned by the Siward family, it passed to the Oliphants.

It was sold in 1613 to the Erskines who created Earls of Kellie in 1619. Abandoned by 1860, it was leased and ultimately purchased by Professor James Lorimer.

Kellie Castle was bought by the National Trust of Scotland from the Lorimers in 1970.

Kellie Castle Tour

A spectacular tower house with three towers and a linking block, Kellie Castle is well-preserved and furnished.

A lesser door in the west makes entry front. To the left is a vaulted room with a video presentation. It is the base of the oldest, late 14th-century tower.

The tour at Kellie Castle passes the gift shop to the main staircase in the Southwest Tower of 1606. The drawing room is furnished in the Georgian style.

Off it is a vault in the northwest tower, which was converted into a chapel in the 1940s by Hew Lorimer. The dining room has richly painted panels and tapestries. The Vine Room has a ceiling with plaster vines and a painted rounded by De Wet.

The tour also includes the dressing room, the Earl’s room, the Professor’s room, a nursery on the top floor of the southwestern tower, the Blue bedroom, and Lorimer’s room below.

This has changed exhibitions on the work of the architect, Sir Robert Lorimer, as well as the artist John Henry Lorimer, and the sculptor, Hew Lorimer.

Examples of their work adorn the castle. The vaulted kitchen on the ground floor has a black range and numerous old utensils.

Kellie Castle Location

Kellie Castle Address: Anstruther KY10 2RF, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Kellie Castle Map

The post Kellie Castle appeared first on Every Castle.

Balgonie Castle History

The 14th-century sandstone ashlar Tower of Balgonie rises at the corner of a ruinous courtyard, with the tower restored by David Maxwell in 1975.

In 1985 the castle was sold to the present owner, the artist and craftsman Raymond Morris.

The guided tour starts with the three vaults on the ground floor of the 17th-century Leslie block, home of the Covenanter, Alexander Leslie, who has created Lord Balgonie and Earl of Leven.

The west vault was the kitchen, now a workshop. To the east are two linked vaults forming a chapel, now with rescued pews. The upper floors are in ruins.

Balgonie was originally built by Sir John Sibbald and passed to his son-in-law, Sir Robert Lundie. In the 17th century, it was acquired by Alexander Leslie, whose family retained it until 1824.

It was then acquired by the Balfours, but allowed to become a ruin. Rob Roy MacGregor stayed here with 200 clansmen in 1716.

Balgonie Castle Location

Balgonie Castle Address: Markinch, Glenrothes KY7 6HQ, United Kingdom. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Balgonie Castle Map

The post Balgonie Castle appeared first on Every Castle.