Thurso Castle was originally a 12th century earthwork fortress, founded by the Norse Earls. In the mid 17th century, George, Earl of Caithness founded a stone tower house on the site of the earlier fortification. In the late 19th century, Sir Tollemache Sinclair absorbed the tower in the construction of a Scottish baronial mansion house. Partly demolished in 1952, the remains are now a roofless shell with no trace of the original castle. 14 miles east is Castle of Mey.