Dunstaffage is
an impressive fortress comprising a curtain wall built on a solid boss. A steep stair and
wooden platform lead to the entrance door, with a passageway into the courtyard. The
gatehouse dates from c.1500, and the upper floors were added c.1600. This block is still
roofed, being restored in 1903, and the first floor hall contains a display on Argyll
castles. The dormers were taken from a later house built in 1725, with the initials being
of Angus and Lilias Campbell.
Two round towers are located
at the north and west corners of the court, the western one containing a prison. The 1725
house is located between them. It has a large fireplace in the kitchen and two decorative
fire-surrounds on the floor (missing) above. In the courtyard is a large well, hewn from
the solid rock. A modern stair leads to the wallhead, and the battlements afford views of
the Firth of Lorn.
The
MacDougalls guilt the originals castle which dates from the 13th century. They
were defeated in 1309 by Robert the Bruce and he granted the castle to the Campbells. The
castle passed back to the MacDougalls, then to the Stewarts of Lorn and the Campbells
again in 1470, who retained it until 1958 when it was taken into state care. |
