 Urquhart Castle
The impressive ruins of Urquhart Castle lie on a rocky promontory on the
northern banks of Loch Ness. An ideal site for a fortress, affording
prominent views of the surrounding approaches, surrounded on three sides
by the deep waters of the Loch, and being easily defendable from the
landward side. First mentioned c1230, when the lordship was granted
to Alan Durward after Alexander II had crushed a northern uprising,
Urquhart Castle has witnessed a chequered past. Quickly falling into
the hands of Edward I of England after his first invasion of Scotland,
regained briefly by the Scots until Edward invaded for a second time
in 1303, and finally held by the Scots under Robert the Bruce by 1308.
For several decades things
remained reasonably settled, but when the lords of the Western Isles,
the Macdonald's, laid claim to the Kingdom of Ross in 1390 this again
signalled the passing back and forth of Urquhart Castle between the warring
factions. By 1479 the Glen had been devastated. Eventually the Crown regained
control, and the estate was leased to Sir Duncan Grant of Freuchie, whose
heirs successfully maintained order in the Glen until 1513. When the King
was killed at Flodden, the Macdonald's once again commanded the
Glen, and held the Urquhart Castle for the next three years.
Major repairs where carried
out once peace had been restored in the late 16th century,
and at the same time the familiar Tower House was built. At the turn of
the 17th century the Lord was not regularly using the now
antiquated Urquhart Castle, as more modern comfortable residences were being sought.
Urquhart Castle did see one final action in 1689 during the Jacobite uprising,
when it was defended by a garrison loyal to William & Mary. Various
parts of Urquhart Castle were blown up by the garrison before they left, rendering
it unusable. The remainder was robbed of its stone and slowly allowed
to fall into decay, bringing a final close to Urquhart Castle's bloody history.
Approached from the west
via a drawbridge and gatehouse, the site opens into an Upper Bailey
to the south, and an Inner Bailey, of a later date, to the north. Little
survives of the Upper Bailey above foundation level, although evidence
suggests that this was where the original fortifications were constructed.
The Inner Bailey contains all the accommodation familiar with medieval
castles, with a Great Hall, chambers and kitchens to the east, and a
Chapel in the centre. There are also the remains of the water gate,
leading to the eastern shore which would have been a vital means of
supply, especially in times of conflict. At the northern tip of the
site stands the remains of the five storey Tower House, which survives
almost to its full height, although the east elevation has now collapsed.
Its entrance was seperated from an inner courtyard by a deep ditch, which
would have been covered by a wooden walkway.
Now a beautifully haunting
ruin, surrounded by some of the finest scenery in the highlands, Urquhart
Castle is today one of Scotland's most evocative images. Along with
tales of the 'Loch Ness monster', this makes the site one of
the most visited places on the tourist map. |
