St. Andrews Castle - St. Andrews, Fife.
Posted by: creg-ny-baa
N 56° 20.510 W 002° 47.431
30V E 512949 N 6244145
A ruined castle on the east coast of Scotland with a grisly and violent history.
Waymark Code: WMRX7G
Location: Northern Scotland, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 08/16/2016
Views: 1
St. Andrews Castle is situated above the Castle Sands in the ancient Fife town. It was first built in 1189 and has been rebuilt many times since throughout it`s turbulent history. Up until the 14th century it fell into the hands of both Scots and English who battled over it`s strategic position on the coast, leaving it mostly in ruin. In 1400, Bishop Walter Trail rebuilt it, and it was the birthplace of James III of Scotland in 1445. It was around this period that it became a prison, with a dungeon under the north-west tower. During the 16th century the castle became a focal point of religious persecution, with the protestants under siege in the building, eventually being beaten with many being executed. The castle was rebuilt again in 1546-47 by Archbishop John Hamilton but after the reformation in 1656 it was no longer required for any use and it fell into permanent ruin with a lot of the stonework going into repairing the pier.
Today, all that remains are the south wall enclosing a square tower, the bottle dungeon, kitchen tower, underground mine and counter mine.
The castle is now owned by Historic Scotland and is open April to September from 9.30 to 17.30, last entry 17.00.
October to March from 10.00 to 16.00, last entry 15.30.
Prices: Adult £5.50, Concessions £4.40, Child(5-15) £3.30. Members and explorers FREE. No dogs allowed.