Mains Castle
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mains Castle (also known as Fintry Castle) is a medieval castle in, Dundee, United Kingdom. The castle consists of several buildings surrounding a courtyard, although several of the original western buildings no longer exist. The northern and eastern buildings are where the family would have lived with the servants occupying the southern quarters. The castle also has a large six floor square tower house with dressed corner stones which is typical of 16th century construction.[1]
The castle is located in Dundee's Caird Park to the north of the city overlooking the Dichty valley and adjacent to a small stream known as the Gelly Burn. On the opposite side of the burn is located the mausoleum of the Graham family and the Main's cemetery which was formally the site of the districts kirk.[2][1]
The castle and its grounds was the subject of a poem by Dundee poet William McGonagall in his work The Castle of Mains.[3]
[edit] History
The castle is believed to have been built in 1562 by Sir David Graham nephew of Cardinal Beaton. A keystone in the western gateway bears this date as well as the initials DG and DMO for David Graham and Dame Margaret Ogilvy.[1][4] A horizontal beam in one of the eastern courtyard doors bears a date of 1582 indicating a possible completion date. The castle was the seat of the Grahams of Fintry and remained so until the 19th century when Robert Graham of Fintry sold the lands to David Erskine. With the condition that his family could retain the territorial title of Graham of Fintry and that the estate revert to the older name of Lumlathen or Linlathen.[1] The estate was later sold by Shipley Gordon Stuart Erskine to James Key Caird who gifted the castle and its lands to the town council as a site for a public park in 1913.[4] as many of the buildings had become roofless. The castle was then in use as a restaurant until it ceased operating in January 2006 following the proprietor's sequestration,[5] although the restaurant is scheduled to reopen, under new management, in March 2007.[6]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d Millar, A. H [1927]. Traditions and Stories of Scottish Castles (HTML). Retrieved on December 4, 2006.
- ^ Overview of Mains Castle (HTML). Gazetteer for Scotland. University of Edinburgh. Retrieved on December 4, 2006.
- ^ McGonagall, William. The Castle of Mains (HTML). McGonagall Online. Retrieved on December 4, 2006.
- ^ a b A Chronicle of The City's Office Bearers, Chambers, Regalia, Castles & Twin Cities (PDF), Dundee City Council. Retrieved on July 9, 2006.
- ^ "Dundee couples blast Mains Castle over scuppered weddings" (HTML), Evening Telegraph and Post, D C Thomson & Co Ltd, 23 January 2006. Retrieved on December 4, 2006.
- ^ Mains Castle, Dundee, Scotland: Weddings, Honeymoon Suite, Events, Restaurant, Accommodation (HTML). Retrieved on December 7, 2006.
