Breachacha Castle (also spelled Breacachadh) is either of two structures on the shore of Loch Breachacha, on the Inner Hebridean island of

Coll Coll (; gd, Cola; sco, Coll)Mac an Tàilleir (2003) p. 31 is an island located west of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. Coll is known for its sandy beaches, which rise to form large sand dunes, for its corncrakes, and ...

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 ...

. The earlier (also called Old Breachacha Castle) is a 15th-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 ...

that was a stronghold of the Macleans of Coll, the island having been granted to John Maclean in 1431. This castle was superseded by a new dwelling in 1750 (see below) but continued to be occupied for a time, falling into a ruinous state only in the mid-19th century. Although work was performed in the 1930s to prevent further dilapidation, the castle was restored to livable condition only in the 1960s, by

Nicholas MacLean-Bristol Nicholas is a male given name and a surname. The Eastern Orthodox Church, the Roman Catholic Church, and the Anglican Churches celebrate Saint Nicholas every year on December 6, which is the name day for "Nicholas". In Greece, the name and its ...

and his wife Lavinia. It is a

Category A listed building Category, plural categories, may refer to: Philosophy and general uses *Categorization, categories in cognitive science, information science and generally *Category of being *Categories (Aristotle), ''Categories'' (Aristotle) *Category (Kant) ...

. The

Project Trust Project Trust, based on the Scottish Inner Hebridean Isle of Coll, is an international volunteering charity for young people. Work of the charity An education charity since 1967, Project Trust offers young people across the UK, Ireland and Mai ...

had the old castle as their original base until a custom built location on the west of the island was created in 1988. The newer Breachacha Castle (also known as Breachacha House), which is also a Category A listed building, was constructed in the mid-18th century northwest of the old castle ().

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

and

James Boswell James Boswell, 9th Laird of Auchinleck (; 29 October 1740 (New Style, N.S.) – 19 May 1795), was a Scottish biographer, diarist, and lawyer, born in Edinburgh. He is best known for his biography of his friend and older contemporary the Englis ...

stayed at the newer castle on their tour of the Hebrides. the newer castle is for sale as a listed property in need of great repair.

Images

Breachacha_Castle,_Coll_-_geograph.org.uk_-_808014.jpg, The 15th-century Breacacha Castle

References

{{coord, 56.5908, -6.6280, region:GB_type:landmark, display=title, name=Breachacha Castle Coll Castles in Argyll and Bute Category A listed buildings in Argyll and Bute