- Type
- Castle
- Origins
- 1220 · 13th century per Wikidata: founding, first mention or construction
- Location
- Scotland, United Kingdom
- Coordinates
- 57.4485°, -6.5900°
History
Tradition holds that the first stronghold on the rocky promontory above Loch Dunvegan was built in the 13th century by Leod, founder of Clan MacLeod, and the castle has stayed with his descendants ever since. A tower house was added in the 14th century, and around 1500 chief Alasdair Crotach built the so-called Fairy Tower. In the 17th century chief Rory Mór added a new wing, and in 1773 Samuel Johnson and James Boswell stayed here on their tour of the Hebrides. In the mid-19th century the castle was remodelled in a romantic Gothic Revival style, its older parts unified behind a single line of battlements. It is regarded as the longest continuously inhabited castle in Scotland.
What to see
The tour takes in drawing rooms, the dining room, the library and a grim dungeon set in the thickness of the walls. The greatest treasure is the Fairy Flag, a faded silk banner probably made in the Middle East centuries before the castle was built. Also on show are the Dunvegan Cup and Rory Mór's Horn. Gardens with water cascades surround the castle, and boats leave the jetty for the seal colony in the loch.
Wikipedia article Official website Wikidata Q1266330
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