Kilchurn Castle

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Kilchurn Castle

Kilchurn Castle is a ruined 14th century structure on the northeastern end of Loch Awe, in Argyll and Bute, Scotland.

It was the ancestral home of the Breadalbane family, of the Clan Campbell. Today, its picturesque setting and romantic state of decay make it one of the most photographed structures in Scotland, sure to be found on any postcard rack.

Kilchurn Castle was built in about 1450 by Sir Colin Campbell, first Lord of Glenorchy, as a five storey tower house with a courtyard defended by an outer wall. By about 1500 an additional range and a hall had been added to the south side of the castle. Further buildings went up during the 1500s and 1600s. The Castle was used as a Government garrison during the 1715 and 1745 Jacobite Rebellions. The family's subsequent efforts to sell it to the Government were unsuccessful. They left in 1740 and moved to Taymouth Castle in Perthshire, eastern Scotland. In 1760 the castle was badly damaged by lightning and was completely abandoned; the remains of a turret of a tower, still resting upside-down in the centre of the courtyard, attest to the violence of the storm.

The ruin is in the care of Historic Scotland (a government body), and is open to the public during the summer. Access, during summer only, is by boat from Lochawe pier on the A85 road. Access by land has controversially been blocked by the operators of the railway network in Scotland.