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CastleUK Blog
July 2008 |
The blog page, a place where I can record and then archive my monthly updates and what's new in our hunt for castles UK.
This months castles, are from Ayrshire and were taken during our October 2007 trip to Scotland, it's nice to get a new area on the site, we stopped at Troon, which was a good base and great if you want a round of golf.
We are pleased to update with 5 castles this month, which is good going in the summer, when the warmer days take us away from the site. We have increased the size of our wallpaper pictures and stopped the smaller ones, also with Vista you get a calendar when you click on the time, so with the 1600x1200 castle picture you can download it, with or without the calendar. I've got Whittington Castle without the calendar, on my 19 inch wide screen which flattens the picture a bit but it still looks very good plus if you have a favourite picture you don't have to change it. June went by a bit too quickly here, what with the football, the website and working, before I could update it was July and the month was gone, without anything to remember it by or is that just my age!!
Click on the picture, for more information. |
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Whittington Castle, OS 126/SJ 326-311 Shropshire England, is this months wallpaper.
The picture was taken in September 2006, on a lovely sunny day and the view is of the castle, looking at the motte which is totally encased by a shell keep, flanked by five huge round towers. The remains of the two towers you see in the picture, defended the gateway into the inner bailey and in the foreground are the wet ditches that once encased the site. |
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Auchans House , OS 70/NS 355-346 Ayrshire Scotland, was originally a mid 16th century stone Z-plan tower house, founded by William Wallace of Dundonald and Auchans. Built with materials removed from Dundonald Castle, the long main block, is of three storeys and an attic. The site is private and fenced but visible from the road, there is also a footpath which starts from Winehouse Yett in Dondonald and goes near to the house. When I was taking my pictures, a lady who was walking her dog, said that people do walk to the site from the path, so go and see it before it falls down!! |
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Culzean Castle , OS 70/NS 233-103 Ayrshire Scotland, was first known as Coif Castle and could be the original 12th century stronghold, founded the Kennedys. There was a tower house here in the 15th century and in 1775, the architect Robert Adam absorbed the tower house, in the construction of a grand baronial mansion, built for David, 10th Earl of Cassilis. The site is owned by The National Trust for Scotland and also provides holiday accommodation. The castle is open daily, Easter to October 10:30-5:00pm. There's not much medieval to see here, the thick wall of the tower can be seen when you walk the rooms but its a good day out, with large grounds and lots going off, also it would be a great castle to stop in. |
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Dundonald Castle , OS 70/NS 364-345 Ayrshire Scotland, was originally a late Iron Age hill fort and in the early to mid 12th century Walter fitz Allan, 1st Steward of Scotland founded an earthwork motte and bailey fortress on the hill. In the mid 13th century, Alexander Stewart founded a stone enclosure castle, which crowned the hill with a high curtain wall but in the early 14th century, the castle was slight during the Wars of Independence with England, only to be rebuilt by King Robert II in the 1370s, to mark his succession to the throne of Scotland. The site is owned by Historic Scotland and is freely accessible in daylight hours, the visitor centre and tours of the castle are open daily, April to October 10:00-5:00pm. This is our kind of site, the remains of a hill fort and 3 castles all on one hill, you can take in 2500 years of history when walking the ground of kings. Money can't buy that but you don't have to, its free, with only a small charge to go inside, life's good here. |
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Dunure Castle, OS 70/NS 252-158 Ayrshire Scotland, was originally a 13th century stone enclosure fortress, founded by the Kennedys of Carrick, the castle was substantially upgraded in the late 15th century, with the hall-house being absorbed in the construction of a vaulted six storey keep. The fore-building was remodelled and a three storey range added, with the combined wall-head furnished with machicolated parapets. The site is freely accessible in daylight hours. Another free corking site, with a lovely little harbour nearby, happy days here. |
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Greenan Castle, OS 70/NS 312-193 Ayrshire Scotland, was originally a 12th century earthwork and timber fortress, founded by Roger de Scalebroc, the Davidson family, owned the stone fortalice which stood here in the 15th century but in the early 17th century, it was absorbed when John Kennedy of Baltersan constructed the rectangular tower house. The site is freely accessible in daylight hours. The car park is at the bottom of the cliff, so its a nice little walk to the castle, if you go to the tower you must be careful of the cliffs. |
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