- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Coordinates
- 56.4562°, -5.6549°
History
The castle was probably built by the MacDougalls in the 13th century and passed to the MacLeans in the next; in 1350 Lachlan Lubanach Maclean received it as the dowry of his wife, a daughter of the Lord of the Isles, and a charter confirmed it in 1390. In 1647 the defenders drove off a siege by Campbell government troops, and in 1653 a Cromwellian squadron anchored offshore, losing three ships in a storm. In 1691 Sir John Maclean surrendered the fortress to the Earl of Argyll; the Campbells partly demolished it and by the mid-18th century it stood abandoned. The ruin changed hands several times until 1911, when the clan chief Sir Fitzroy Maclean bought it back and had it restored. After water coming through the chimneys brought down four ceilings in the winter of 2013–14, a public appeal was launched in 2014 to fund a costly restoration.
What to see
The castle still belongs to the chiefs of Clan MacLean and opens to visitors in season, from April to October, when you can tour the interiors with clan memorabilia, the massive curtain walls and keep, and stop at the tearoom and gift shop. Out of season the grounds remain accessible, with views over the Sound of Mull and Loch Linnhe. Ferries run from Oban to Craignure on Mull, a few kilometres from the castle. The Great Hall holds the colours of the Canadian 236th Battalion from the First World War.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1262718
Popularity: articles about this site in 15 Wikimedia projects (Wikipedia language editions and others).