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Almond Castle today

Scotland · Ruin

Almond Castle

Almond Castle (formerly Haining Castle) is a ruined L-plan castle near Linlithgow in Falkirk, Scotland, originally built around 1470 with 16th-century extensions. The building has a vaulted basement, a first-floor hall, a kitchen in the wing, and once rose four storeys plus a garret. The ruin is unsound and is protected as a scheduled monument.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1586

Today

Ruin

As it stood in 1586

What Almond Castle looked like in its prime.

An L-plan stone castle rising four storeys plus a garret, with a main rectangular tower and a projecting south-west wing and an extended range along the south-east face added in the 16th century. Constructed of coursed grey masonry blocks, the long south-east wall contains the principal entrance which gave access to the first-floor hall. At its prime the silhouette was a compact tower-house cluster set within a small courtyard enclosed by a wall and ditch, topped by slate or lead roofs over the garret level.

Its story

The story of Almond Castle.

The estate originally belonged to the Crawford family, who built the castle in about 1470, an L-plan tower three miles west of Linlithgow with a vaulted basement, a first-floor hall and a kitchen in the wing, rising four storeys and a garret. It was known as Haining Castle until the seventeenth century.

In about 1540 the castle passed by marriage to the Livingstones, who built an extension at the south-west. When James Livingstone was created Baron Livingstone of Almond in 1633, the castle's name was changed from Haining to Almond. The Livingstone Earls of Callendar forfeited it to the crown after the Jacobite rising of 1715.

A courtyard with wall and ditch encloses the remains of sixteenth-century buildings, and the entrance on the long south-east face gave access to the first floor. In 1783 the York Buildings Company sold the ruin to William Forbes. The structure is now unsound and protected as a scheduled monument.

Step inside

8 places to explore in 1586.

The record describes 8 distinct spots at Almond Castle, including 4 interiors: first-floor hall, vaulted basement, kitchen in the wing and more. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

South-east approach and main first-floor entranceInner courtyard and enclosing wallFirst-floor hallVaulted basementKitchen in the wingSouth-west extension exteriorGarret and roofspaceView from the enclosing ditch and surrounding fields

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Whose castle

Clans who held Almond Castle.

The families that held Almond Castle for a decade or more across its history, follow a name to its clan.

  • Crawford

    The estate belonged to the Crawfords, who built the castle in about 1470 and held it until about 1540.

  • Livingstone

    Held by the Livingstones from about 1540 by marriage until the Earls of Callendar forfeited it after the 1715 Jacobite rising.

Questions about Almond Castle

What is the history of Almond Castle?

Almond Castle was built in about 1470 by the Crawford family. It passed by marriage to the Livingstones in about 1540, who added extensions at the south-west and along the south-east wall. Its name changed from Haining to Almond in 1633, and the Livingstone Earls of Callendar forfeited it to the crown after the Jacobite rising of 1715. It was abandoned in the 1750s.

What is inside Almond Castle?

Inside Almond Castle are a vaulted basement, a first-floor hall and a kitchen in the wing. The castle also had a garret and roofspace. The first-floor entrance was reached from the long south-east face, while a courtyard enclosed the remains of later buildings.

Where is Almond Castle?

Almond Castle is near Linlithgow, three miles west of the town, in Falkirk. It stands north of the Union Canal. The castle is in Scotland, in the Falkirk administrative area.

When was Almond Castle built?

Almond Castle was built in the 15th century, around 1470. It was later extended in the 16th century, including additions made by the Livingstones at the south-west and along the south-east wall in 1586.

Which family or clan held Almond Castle?

The Crawfords held Almond Castle from about 1470 until about 1540. The Livingstones then held it from about 1540 by marriage until the Livingstone Earls of Callendar forfeited it after the Jacobite rising of 1715.

What did Almond Castle look like in its prime?

In its prime, Almond Castle was an L-plan stone tower-house cluster rising four storeys plus a garret. It had a main rectangular tower, a projecting south-west wing and a 16th-century range along the south-east face. Coursed grey masonry formed the walls, and a small courtyard was enclosed by a wall and ditch, with slate or lead roofs over the garret level.

Is Almond Castle still standing or is it a ruin?

Almond Castle survives as a ruin and is now unsound. Its remains include the four-storey tower-house structure, the vaulted basement, the first-floor hall, the wing kitchen and the courtyard with its enclosing wall and ditch. It is protected as a scheduled monument.

Who built Almond Castle?

The Crawford family built Almond Castle in about 1470. The Livingstones later added the south-west extension around 1540 and an extension along the south-east wall in 1586.
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