| Castle Campbell is accessed from a lovely little village called Dollar in Clackmannanshire. Built where the burns of Care and Sorrow join and overlooked by Gloom Hill, it was originally known as "Gloom Castle". This is a far cry from the sight which greets the visitor. A steep narrow road will take you to the top of the hill where Castle Campbell looks out on to the Pentland Hills and the village. It is peaceful and breathtaking, one of the best settings that I have seen. The site on which it stands was probably fortified from the Middle Ages. | |
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| Once a property of the Bishop of Dunkeld and held by the Stewarts of Innermeath, the castle passed through inheritance in 1481 to Colin Campbell, 1st Earl of Argyll and Chancellor of Scotland, after which its name was changed to Castle Campbell by Act of Parliament in 1489. Cromwell's forces occupied the castle in 1653,and it was torched by General Monck in 1654. In 1948 the castle was taken over by the National Trust for Scotland, and is now administered by Historic Scotland. | |
| Click here to see an illustration of the castle as it would have looked | |
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| The tower house was built in the 15th century, while the southern ranges were added over the following two centuries. Castle Campbell was the lowland seat of Archibald Campbell, Earl of Argyll, a prominent of Mary, Queen of Scots' Privy Council. Argyll married Lady Jean Stewart, Mary's half-sister and close confidante. | |
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