Dornoch Castle

Dornoch Castle is situated opposite Dornoch Cathedral in the town of Dornoch, in Sutherland, Scotland, a little over 40 miles (64 km) north of Inverness.

Dornoch Castle

History

Dornoch Castle was built around 1500 as the home of the bishops of Caithness.[1] Bishop Robert Stewart gifted the castle to John Gordon, 11th Earl of Sutherland in 1557.[1] In 1570 the castle was set alight in a feud between the McKays and Murrays. The rebuilding which followed included the addition of the upper part of the tower.[1] The castle decayed during the 18th century, but was restored in 1813–1814 to serve as a school and jail. In 1859-60 it became a court house, and was made the headquarters of the Sheriff of Sutherland with extensive remodelling by William Fowler.[2]

Further alterations were made around 1880, including the heightening of the south-west block, and the addition of a three-storey east tower.[1] Following the restoration the castle became a hunting lodge for visiting sportsmen. In 1947 it became a hotel. The Dornoch Castle Hotel has 24 rooms, including suites, and garden rooms, which were built in the 1970s. In addition, there are several personalized rooms and a restaurant. The castle is a category B listed building.[1] The Castle is believed to have been haunted by the ghost of Andrew McCornish who was hanged for sheep stealing. [3]

The building passed into private hands in 1922, and became a hotel in 1947. It is now the Dornoch Castle Hotel.[4]

gollark: Yep!
gollark: PotatOS is now getting properly secured backdoors!
gollark: It seems to be off, as my screen has stopped displaying messages, and presumably stopped receiving them.
gollark: I mean, the thing which sends messages when it receives messages.
gollark: <@!378840449152188419> I think your modem monitor is turned off.

References
  1. Historic Environment Scotland. "Castle Street Dornoch Castle (Castle Hotel) and Garden Wall  (Category B) (LB24636)". Retrieved 15 March 2019.
  2. http://www.scottisharchitects.org.uk/architect_full.php?id=200673
  3. Dornoch Castle A Brief History
  4. "History". Dornoch Castle Hotel. 12 March 2018.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.