Barcaldine Castle (also called the Black Castle) is a 17th-century

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

castle located at Barcaldine 9 miles north of

Oban Oban ( ; ' in Scottish Gaelic meaning ''The Little Bay'') is a resort town within the Argyll and Bute council area of Scotland. Despite its small size, it is the largest town between Helensburgh and Fort William. During the tourist season, th ...

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...

History

The castle was built by Duncan Campbell of Glenorchy between 1601 and 1609. In 1692, the castle was attacked during the

massacre of Glencoe The Massacre of Glencoe ( gd, Murt Ghlinne Comhann) took place in Glen Coe in the Highlands of Scotland on 13 February 1692. An estimated 30 members and associates of Clan MacDonald of Glencoe were killed by Scottish government forces, alleged ...

. The castle fell into disrepair in the later 19th century, when

Barcaldine House Barcaldine House is a historic mansion in Barcaldine near Oban, Scotland, now a hotel. History Campbell ownership 1709–1842 The lands were originally part of the extensive estates of the Campbell of Breadalbane, who had built Barcaldine Ca ...

became the principal residence of the family. It was restored between 1897 and 1911. It was purchased in November 2009 by David Whitehead.

Description

The castle has a

bottle dungeon A dungeon is a room or cell in which prisoners are held, especially underground. Dungeons are generally associated with medieval castles, though their association with torture probably belongs more to the Renaissance period. An oubliette (from ...

and two hidden passageways. The castle offers a view of the

Loch Creran Loch Creran is a sea loch in Argyll, on the west coast of Scotland. It is about long from its head at Invercreran to its mouth on the Lynn of Lorne, part of Loch Linnhe. The loch separates the areas of Benderloch to the south and Appin to the ...

and the

Glen Coe Glen Coe ( gd, Gleann Comhann ) is a glen of volcanic origins, in the Highlands of Scotland. It lies in the north of the county of Argyll, close to the border with the historic province of Lochaber, within the modern council area of Highland ...

mountains. The castle has been owned since November 2009 by David Whitehead.David Whitehead Contact Details
LinkedIn's Contact Out, accessed 2021-10-07

Ghost

The ghost of Sir Duncan Campbell is said to have been spotted roaming Barcaldine, searching for the man who murdered him.

Citations

External links

Barcaldine Castle bed & breakfast website
Castles in Argyll and Bute Category A listed buildings in Argyll and Bute Reportedly haunted locations in Scotland Hotels in Argyll and Bute Tower houses in Scotland {{scotland-castle-stub