Scottish Castles

Local information

Saddell Castle, Argyll and Bute

Location: Saddell, PA28 6QS (map and directions)

At just a quarter-mile southeast of the village of Saddell, Saddell Castle is located on the shore of the Kilnbrannan Sound on the east coast of the Kintyre Peninsula. It was built partially out of the remains of Saddell Abbey in 1508 by David Hamilton, the Bishop of Argyll.

Saddell Castle © scotsites.co.uk

History of Saddell Castle

Saddell Castle, as a 16th century tower house, was Hamilton’s primary home until he sold the castle to his half- brother James Hamilton, the 2nd Earl of Arran who exchanged it for James MacDonald’s lands on the Isle of Arran.Thus the MacDonald family became owners of Saddell Castle, and were the owners when the castle was ransacked and burnt by Thomas Radclyffe, 3rd Earl of Sussex in 1558 under orders from Queen Mary I of England.

After this great fire, Saddell Castle was later rebuilt and enlarged, this time much more effective against entrance by strangers. A trap door was put in at the main entrance passage which, when activated, sent unwanted visitors down into an exit-less dungeon.

This four-story tower house fell to ruin when Saddell House was built around 1775. Two hundred years later, in 1975, the Landmark Trust acquired the property and restored the buildings for use as self-catering holiday accommodation.

Map and directions

Other castles in Argyll & Bute