MacLellans Castle

MacLellans Castle Details

MacLellans Castle, a large ruined C16 tower house of the MacLellans. Never completed and ruined by mid C18.

  • Closest To: Kirkcudbright
  • Access: Chargeable Public Access
  • Grid Reference: NX682511

MacLellans Castle is a large tower house built for the MacLellan family of Bombie in Kirkcudbright in the 16th century. It was built at the top end of the High Street after the family were granted the lands of the old Greyfriars Monastery, and most likely reused some of the masonry.

The house is L-shaped in plan but far more extensive than most L-plan tower houses, and it may be the case that the plan and extent of the building was defined by older church structures. The project combined with their royalist support during the Covenanting period bankrupted the family, and the house was roofless in 1753, perhaps never completed. Today it is managed by historic Environment Scotland.

Official Historic Scotland page

HES Canmore database entry

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