Scottish Castles

Local information

Castle Campbell, Stirlingshire

Location: Dollar, FK14 7PP (map and directions)

Built in the late 15th century above the town of Dollar in Clackmannanshire, Castle Campbell was originally known as Castle Gloom and owned by Clan Stuart. The tower house is one of the most well-preserved in Scotland and stands 20 metres high with a storage cellar, four floors of accommodation, and two famously grotesque carvings representing the ‘Green Man’ located on the vaulted ceiling.

Castle Campbell © Chris Wimbush

History of Castle Campbell

This storybook castle set upon a dramatic ridge at the base of the Ochil Hills passed by marriage to Colin Campbell, the 1st Earl of Argyll and Lord Chancellor of Scotland, who changed the name to Castle Campbell in 1489. From this point Castle Campbell served as the seat of the Earls and Dukes of Argyll, the chiefs of Clan Campbell.

Around the year 1500, the Hall Range was constructed, which provided additional lodging and a public reception to the castle, until a fire tore through the castle in the 17th century.

In 1645, during the Civil War, James Graham, 1st Marquess of Montrose launched a failed attempt at overtaking the castle. This luck did not stretch to the year 1653, when the Campbells were forced to choose between Oliver Cromwell and the King. The 8th Earl of Argyll first chose the King, but then switched his allegiance to Cromwell, whose forces then occupied the castle until 1654. It was in this year that Castle Campbell was then burnt down as a direct result of the Campbell’s support of Cromwell.

The 8th Earl of Argyll was executed seven years later for treason against the King, and Castle Campbell was abandoned for the most part until 1948 when the castle was given into the care of the government. Historic Scotland now manages Castle Campbell.

Map and directions

Other castles in Stirlingshire