Inverness Castle

Inverness, United Kingdom

Inverness Castle sits on a cliff overlooking the River Ness. The red sandstone structure evident today was built in 1836 by architect William Burn. It is built on the site of an 11th-century (c. 1057) defensive structure. Today, it houses Inverness Sheriff Court.

The castle is said to have been built by Máel Coluim III of Scotland, after he had razed to the ground the castle in which Macbeth of Scotland according to much later tradition, murdered Máel Coluim's father Donnchad I of Scotland, and which stood on a hill around 1 km to the north-east.

The first Inverness Castle was partially destroyed by King Robert I of Scotland and a replacement castle was sacked in the 15th century by the Clan Donald during the Siege of Inverness (1429). The castle was occupied during the Raid on Ross in 1491.

In 1548 another castle with tower was completed by George Gordon, 4th Earl of Huntly (1514–1562). He was constable of the castle until 1562. The castle was later taken by the Clan Munro and Clan Fraser who supported Mary Queen of Scots during the Siege of Inverness (1562). Robert Mor Munro, 15th Baron of Foulis, chief of the Clan Munro was a staunch supporter and faithful friend of Mary Queen of Scots and he consequently was treated favourably by her son James VI.

The current Inverness Castle was built in 1836 on the site of the original one. To improve the more recent castle, a gas, light, and water system was installed.

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Details

Founded: 1836
Category: Castles and fortifications in United Kingdom

More Information

en.wikipedia.org

Rating

4.1/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

J H (6 months ago)
Can't see much right now as it's under renovations on the outside also. There's a big fence around the entire outside. You can see the front of the castle through the fence at the front when we went. There's also view points along the river walk too.
Namrata Pandey (7 months ago)
Although the castle was closed due to renovation but the city walk was amazing.
Charles Staley (19 months ago)
The castle on 5/20/23 is undergoing restoration work and will be opened in a year or so as city services. It is a good walk around and is easily in the middle of the nightlife. There are storage and bars nearby open seven days a week. The Edinburgh Museum and Art Gallery are part of the same complex. I recommend a visit there.
Adam Cook (19 months ago)
The following review is based on a pre-pandemic trip going old school and only using paper maps and brochures to find places to stop at on a 3-week adventure to Ireland, Scotland, and England. No cell phone or internet. We were not able to enter the castle but were able to walk around the grounds when we visited. The castle blends into the hill side so it looks like it is part of the terrain at some vantage points. If coming from the west, you can get some great shots from the river when walking across the foot bridge. It would have been cool to see inside but even walking around the outside of the castle was fun and the town around the castle has some great shops and restaurants. In our visit we were lucky enough to have live music at one of the pubs.
Simon nicholson (3 years ago)
Not currently open to the public. You can walk up the hill to the castle and get great views of the city and river. There are some tablets set in the ground on the city side near the car park which have some interesting historical facts about the castle. It is going to be open to the public in the next few years.
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