Romantically
situated on Strone Point by the side of Loch Ness, Urqhuart Castle is one of the better
known Scottish castles. It has a complicated layout, having been destroyed over many
centuries. From the drawbridge one enters a large irregular courtyard. To the south is the
upper bailey, with various structures, including what is thought to have been a smithy and
the base of a round doocot. The northern half of the castle has more buildings, and here
rises the tower-house at the tip of Strone Point. It has five storeys, though some floors
have gone, reached by a turnpike stair. The great hall was located over the kitchen in a
separate block, rising above a cliff. In the middle of the nether baileys, on a low mound,
stood what was probably the chapel.
The
first castle was built for Alan Durward, son-in-law of Alexander II, in the 13th
century. In 1275 ownership passed to John Comyn but the English captured it in 1296. It
passed to and fro for a number of years until in 1308 Robert the Bruce gave it to his
nephew, Sir Thomas Randolph. It returned to Crown hands in 1346 but was continually being
captured by the Lords of the Isles. For a time held by the Grants, the castle was
abandoned in 1692. |
