Inverlochy Castle Ruins

Fort William, United Kingdom

Inverlochy Castle was built around 1280 by the powerful ‘Red’ Comyns, lords of Badenoch and Lochaber, to command the southern end of the Great Glen. The site of two battles, the castle remains largely unchanged since its construction.

The moat that surrounded the castle has long gone but the location at the western end of the Great Glen and natural defensive postion against the River Lochy gave Inverlochy castle a superior advantage. The old Military Road built by General Wade passed right by the castle and can still be followed back in to Fort William.

Inverlochy Castle last played a part in Scottish and English history during the Civil Wars of the 1640’s. In 1645 the royalist Earl of Montrose routed the roundhead forces of the Campbell Chief Duke of Argyll at the second Battle of Inverlochy.

In 1654 the Castle was abandoned in favour of a large timber fort built nearby by Oliver Cromwell which in 1690 was then replaced by a stone fort named “Fort William” after King William III. The town which grew around it was named Maryburgh after the Queen, Mary II, though eventually it took the same name as the fort.

In 1836 a new Victorian, chateau-style Inverlochy Castle was built in nearby Torlundy by the Hobbs familiy. This has since been converted into a luxury hotel.

References:

Comments

Your name



Details

Founded: c. 1280
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Freya Burston (10 months ago)
The is being repaired but still lovely spot.
C “Tornadoman” Kelly (11 months ago)
Visited while walking the geln way walk sad to see it fenced off but understandable with the fact that there's masonry that's lose and could fall, bike the Scotiabank castle afforities need to speak to the Welsh as the Welsh have it down as a art form, But overall nice to see that there's effort to try and sort it out and make it safe Would of been ni e to be able to see more and explore more but at the moment not safe
David Carr (12 months ago)
The entire site is fenced off for safety as a survey is done, hence the rating. Easy to navigate to and accessible parking close by, but you can only walk the perimeter at this time. ?
Amiliah Goodrich (13 months ago)
Not a full castle. Ruins. Gorgeous, but expect an impeded views
Vicky (17 months ago)
Sadly it is too dangerous to walk among the ruins, hence not open to the public. You can walk around the perimeter fence but it can be a little boggy at times. The reason I gave it 5 stars is because it was a unique castle with an interesting history. It also has a lovely view of Ben Nevis.
Powered by Google

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Historic Site of the week

Clementinum

The Clementinum is a historic complex of buildings in Prague. Until recently the complex hosted the National, University and Technical libraries, the City Library also being located nearby on Mariánské Náměstí. The Technical library and the Municipal library have moved to the Prague National Technical Library at Technická 6 since 2009. It is currently in use as the National Library of the Czech Republic.

Its history dates from the existence of a chapel dedicated to Saint Clement in the 11th century. A Dominican monastery was founded in the medieval period, which was transformed in 1556 to a Jesuit college. In 1622 the Jesuits transferred the library of Charles University to the Klementinum, and the college was merged with the University in 1654. The Jesuits remained until 1773, when the Klementinum was established as an observatory, library, and university by the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria.