Picturesquely
located on a narrow spit of land that projects into Loch Ranza, this castle was built of
grey stone with red sandstone dressings. The doorway was added in the 16th
century, with the earlier doorways being blocked, one of which was located at first floor
level.
The Montgomerie family as it
is today built Lochranza in the 16th century, but they added to an old hall
house which had been built by the Menteiths in the late 13th century. The
Montgomeries acquired the castle in 1452, but they lost it to the Hamiltons in 1705. In
1897 the north east corner collapsed, being eroded by the sea, but the building had been
roofless since before 1772. |