Doune Castle, Stirlingshire
Posted by: 
teleute
N 56° 11.150 W 004° 03.073
30V E 434754 N 6227259
A late 14th century courtyard castle. It has a 100ft high gatehouse and the Lord's Hall with its musicians' gallery and carved oak screen and sits above the River Teith.
Waymark Code: WM1T87
Location: United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/05/2007
Views: 104
A very fun castle to explore with a maze of corridors and magnificent view from the turrets. Stand there and pretend you're John Cleese in Monty Python and the Holy Grail shouting insults involving hamsters and elderberries. Many other scenes were shot there as well. The following details come from Wikipedia:
The Castle was built at the end of the 14th century by Robert Stewart, 1st Duke of Albany (d. 1420), brother of King Robert III (1390-1406), probably on the site of an earlier fortification, as the name Doune (Gaelic dùn, 'fort') suggests, and was subsequently little altered before the re-roofing and redecoration of some of the rooms in the late 19th century. Robert III being deemed unfit to rule due to poor health, Albany governed Scotland as effective regent from 1388. The King's eldest son, in Albany's custody, died in mysterious circumstances in 1402. On Albany's death in 1420 control of the country and the Castle passed to his son, Murdoch Stewart, 2nd Duke of Albany (1362-1425), but when King James I (1406-37) returned in 1424 from captivity in England, Murdoch was imprisoned for treason then beheaded.
Doune Castle then became a royal retreat and hunting lodge for the Scottish monarchs, including Mary Queen of Scots (1542-67).
In 1570 Sir James Stewart, the first Lord Doune, was granted possession of Doune by James VI (1567-1625). Lord Doune's grandson became the Earl of Moray by marrying the Regent Moray's daughter, and the Earls of Moray have owned it ever since.
During the Jacobite Rising of 1745 Doune Castle became a prison for government supporters captured by the Jacobites, some of whom including the author John Home escaped by knotting together bedsheets and climbing from the kitchen window. Another prisoner was a Scottish minister John Witherspoon who later moved to the American colonies and became a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence. Earlier in 1607 another minister the Rev John Munro of Tain, a dissenter against the religious plans of James VI, was also imprisoned with a fellow minister at Doune, though he escaped with the contrivance of the then Constable of the Castle (who was subsequently imprisoned for aiding the dissenters).
Doune has a considerable claim to be among the best-preserved medieval castles in Scotland. It is undoubtedly the finest castle of its date (late 14th century) in the country. Though apparently never completed, the surviving Castle is a building of unique and sophisticated plan, with architectural detail of notable refinement.
The site is defended on three sides by the ground sloping steeply down to the rivers, and the approach from the north is defended by earthworks. There is a superb view in every direction from the battlements. The Castle is entered through a narrow gateway and a 46 ft (14 m) long vaulted passageway, formerly blocked by two massive timber doors and a 'yett' (iron grille), that leads to a large central courtyard. Off this, steps lead up to the Great hall which is connected by arched servery hatches and a door to the massive kitchen. An enclosed staircase from the courtyard reaches the timber panelled Lord's hall and other apartments, which all together give a vivid impression of life in a medieval castle.
The castle is maintained by Historic Scotland and is open to the public (entrance charge).
Accessibility: Full access
Condition: Intact
Admission Charge?: yes
Website: [Web Link]
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