Castles

Where else are you going to find old castles except Europe?  Really - we have nothing to compare them to in the U.S.

While in Scotland, we toured two castles that are kind of at different ends of the spectrum, but both interesting and beautiful in their own way.

We visited Loch Leven (pronounced lee-ven) which is a small loch just along the highlands border.  There a few small islands in the loch and upon one of them a castle was built and appears in the history as early as the beginning of the fourteenth century. The castle was used by members of the Scottish royal family during the century, but afterwards was the island home of the Douglass family.  It was the Douglass's who hosted Mary, Queen of Scots, as an honored guest, but later the castle was used to imprison her for just under a year (late 1567- early 1568).  Mary eventually escaped from the island castle and tried to rally her supporters behind her, but ultimately was forced into exile in England within a month.

A view across the loch on approach to the castle.

The main tower walls.

 

And a view of the loch from the parapet outside the tower where Mary was held prisoner.

The walls are in a bit of a state of ruin, but you can still get a feel for the cold stones and how damp and dreary it would likely have been during the winters.  As you can see from the view of the loch shot, there isn't a whole lot of space between the castle and the water, and 400 years ago, there would have been a lot less.  The whole island at that time was only big enough for the castle, its outer walls and enough rocky shore to pull a small boat up.  The water level in the loch dropped dramatically in the 18th century due to a dam project designed to furnish water power for mills at the end of the river which runs through the loch and the island gained quite a bit of acreage because of that.

The other castle we visited, which is at the other end of the "kept up" spectrum is Stirling Castle in the town of Stirling.  This is a large, rambling set of building, walls and parapets which has been used over the years as defensive as well as royal housing.  It has a commanding view of the town of Stirling (and nearby site of the Braveheart/William Wallace Battle of Stirling Bridge site).

The castle has been kept up and added to over the years, and they are in the midst of a major renovation project on the buildings.  The oldest stone buildings have been restored back to close to their original "high use" timeframe.  The structures built by James V for his new queen, Mary of Guise, are in the process of being restored.

One of the original stone towers:

And one of the palace buildings built during James V's reign.

And one of the best parts of the tour was the tapestry weaver's exhibit/cottage.  The Historic Trust is having a set of Unicorn tapestries woven to hang in the great hall of the building shown above. This is a 12-year project to weave the set of seven tapestries (two are completed and cut off the looms already).  They have a small staff of weavers who work on them and you can go in and watch the weavers at work.  (Disclaimer:  This is a contraband photo.  There were signs up all over not to talk to the weavers, but I didn't see the one that said "no photos" until we walked out the door to leave - that was only posted on the exterior of the building....so.... oops - sorry.)

They are obviously spending a lot of time, money and effort on this restoration, and I think it will amazing when it's completed. 

Tomorrow - final photos.

All for now.....

Comments

[Cheryl]

I love living so near castles—mostly 12th century. To my kids, however, they're just another ruined pile of rocks. One person's rock pile is another person's treasure, I suppose.

[Birdsong]

Now, I am truly green with envy; have always wanted to see the lochs and castles. The weavers' project is totally amazing; to think that one could find work as a weaver for the government...

[Cathy]

Your tour has been wonderful. I am not sure I am willing to let this come to an end. :-)

[Teri S.]

Such a nice trip report! It's almost as good as being there. It seems as if historical preservation in the UK and Europe is much better than it is here. It's improving here, but there's still a tendency for people to tear down old houses (even if they are perfectly good) because they want "new and improved." Even with its leaky roof, I still prefer our old house to anything new on market.