Carrick Castle
Castle in Argyll and Bute, Scotland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Carrick Castle is a 14th-century tower house on the west shore of Loch Goil on the Cowal Peninsula, in Argyll and Bute, west of Scotland. It is located between Cuilmuich and Carrick, 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Lochgoilhead.
| Carrick Castle | |
|---|---|
Carrick Castle being restored, 2019 | |
 Interactive map of the Carrick Castle area | |
| General information | |
| Type | Tower House |
| Location | Cowal Peninsula, Argyll and Bute., Carrick Castle (village), Scotland, United Kingdom |
| Coordinates | 56.108742°N 4.9054980°W, National grid reference NS 19422 94469 |
| Construction started | 14th Century |
| Height | |
| Height | 64ft |
| Technical details | |
| Material | Stone |
| Floor count | 2 |
Listed Building – Category A | |
| Official name | Carrick Castle |
| Designated | 20 July 1971 |
| Reference no. | LB11815 |
| Official name | Carrick Castle |
| Type | Secular: castle |
| Designated | 28 September 1966 |
| Reference no. | SM2495 |
The castle stands on a rocky peninsula, and was formerly defended to landward by a ditch and drawbridge. The building is around 66 by 38 feet (20 by 12 m), and up to 64 feet (20 m) high with walls seven feet thick.[1] It consists of two floors above the central great hall and stands 64 feet high. There is a curiosity – a small chimney is built into a window recess. There is an appendage of a smaller 17th century structure to the original rectangular tower house. The structure has been designated a scheduled monument and a Category A listed building by Historic Environment Scotland.[2][3]
Modern-day houses in the surrounding area take the name Carrick Castle.
History
The castle was probably built by the Campbells in the last decades of the fourteenth century,[4] at a point of time when the family was dominant in the area.[5]
It was used as a hunting lodge by James IV.[6][7][8][9] Mary, Queen of Scots visited in 1563, staying at the castle on 20 and 21 June.[10]
During Argyll's Rising in 1685, when Archibald Campbell, 9th Earl of Argyll, attempted to overthrow King James VII, captain Thomas Hamilton of HMS Kingfisher reported that the castle had been burnt and walls reduced sufficiently to make it useless to the Campbell forces. Legend has it that the ship bombarded the castle, badly damaging the keep, which lost its roof.[11][12]
The castle was intermittently occupied until it was sold to the Murrays, the Earls of Dunmore.
The keep was a ruin for many years but is now in private ownership and undergoing restoration.
Gallery
The castle in 2020
The castle in 2019
The castle in 2019
The castle in 2016
The castle in 2010
The castle in 1976
The castle in 1973
The castle in 1964
The castle between 1890 and 1900
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