Documents

Where documents include maps, the use of this data is subject to terms and conditions (https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/termsandconditions).

The legal document available for download below constitutes the formal designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The additional details provided on this page are provided for information purposes only and do not form part of the designation. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within this additional information.

• Type

  Legal Documents

  Title

  Legal Documents for Loch Doon Castle (SM90203)

  Download(https://portal.historicenvironment.scot/document/600024546)

Summary

Description

The monument consists of the rebuilt remains of Loch Doon Castle, surviving as a substantial stone structure. The castle is located on the west side of Loch Doon, 4km south of Dalmellington.

The castle dates from the late 13th century, and has an extremely unusual eleven-sided curtain wall constructed of high quality ashlar masonry, with the entrance in the north. The entrance was through a large pointed arch entry, with evidence of double doors and a portcullis. In the first half of the 16th century a small tower was added to the inside of the west wall. The re-erected remains do not include this later work.

The castle was documented in 1306 when it fell to the English, marking the elimination of the last Bruce stronghold in the south-west. The castle was again documented in 1333 when it was one of the few strongholds still held for David II. Loch Doon Castle was supposedly destroyed by fire during the reign of James V. In the 19th century the castle was quarried for stone, used in the construction of a nearby shooting lodge. The castle was dismantled and rebuilt 400m to the northwest on the shore of the loch in 1935, when the water level was raised for a hydro-electric scheme. All the architectural carved stonework was reconstructed, while the wall core of the curtain wall was left on Castle Island. There is no potential for below-ground archaeology associated with the rebuilt castle beyond evidence of the reconstruction work.

The scheduled area comprises of only the upstanding fabric of the rebuilt castle walls and their associated foundations, as marked in red on the accompanying map.

Statement of National Importance

The monument is of national importance as an unusual example of a polygonal castle of enclosure. This castle played an important strategic role in the Wars of Independence. The surviving architecture, albeit reconstructed, has the potential to inform an understanding of high-quality castellated architecture and planning of the late 13th century. This importance is further reinforced by the fact that this form of castle plan is out of place in lowland Scotland, and is more usually associated with the Gaelic west. This is a rare example of an early 20th century large-scale conservation project, which indicates the considerable importance attached to the fabric of the monument at that time.

References

Bibliography

About Scheduled Monuments

Historic Environment Scotland is responsible for designating sites and places at the national level. These designations are Scheduled monuments, Listed buildings, Inventory of gardens and designed landscapes and Inventory of historic battlefields.

We make recommendations to the Scottish Government about historic marine protected areas, and the Scottish Ministers decide whether to designate.

Scheduling is the process that identifies, designates and provides statutory protection for monuments and archaeological sites of national importance as set out in the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979.

We schedule sites and monuments that are found to be of national importance using the selection guidance published in Designation Policy and Selection Guidance (2019)

Scheduled monument records provide an indication of the national importance of the scheduled monument which has been identified by the description and map. The description and map (see ‘legal documents’ above) showing the scheduled area is the designation of the monument under the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. The statement of national importance and additional information provided are supplementary and provided for general information purposes only. Historic Environment Scotland accepts no liability for any loss or damages arising from reliance on any inaccuracies within the statement of national importance or additional information. These records are not definitive historical or archaeological accounts or a complete description of the monument(s).

The format of scheduled monument records has changed over time. Earlier records will usually be brief. Some information will not have been recorded and the map will not be to current standards. Even if what is described and what is mapped has changed, the monument is still scheduled.

Scheduled monument consent is required to carry out certain work, including repairs, to scheduled monuments. Applications for scheduled monument consent are made to us. We are happy to discuss your proposals with you before you apply and we do not charge for advice or consent. More information about consent and how to apply for it can be found on our website at www.historicenvironment.scot.

Find out more about scheduling and our other designations at www.historicenvironment.scot/advice-and-support. You can contact us on 0131 668 8914 or at designations@hes.scot.