- Type
- Castle
- Built
- c. 1440 · 15th century
- Location
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Commissioned by
- George Crichton, 1st Earl of Caithness
- Coordinates
- 56.0061°, -3.5161°
History
The castle on a rocky promontory above the Firth of Forth was built around 1440 by Sir George Crichton, sheriff of Linlithgow and later Earl of Caithness. From 1453 it belonged to the Crown, serving as a fortress guarding Blackness, the port of the royal palace at Linlithgow, and as a state prison – Cardinal David Beaton was held here in 1543. In the 1530s and 1540s Sir James Hamilton of Finnart rebuilt it as a formidable artillery fortress. Cromwell's forces captured it in 1650, and in the 1660s Covenanters were imprisoned within its walls. It served as an ammunition depot until 1912 and was later restored.
What to see
The castle's long shape follows the rock: the south tower forms the bow, the north tower the stern, and the central tower stands in the middle like a mast. Visitors can climb the walls and towers and see the old prison cells, gun positions and the thick 16th-century walls. The battlements look out over the firth and the three Forth bridges.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1524366
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