Clan Rising
Castlecraig today

Scotland · Partial ruin

Castlecraig

Castlecraig (also called Craig Castle or Castle Craig) is a 16th‑century Scottish tower house on the south shore of the Cromarty Firth on the Black Isle. It survives today as a partially ruined tower with one wing still standing and roofed and the other collapsed. The site is protected as a scheduled monument.

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Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1560

Today

Partial ruin

As it stood in 1560

What Castlecraig looked like in its prime.

A tall, slender 16th‑century rectangular stone tower house of reddish‑brown masonry standing alone on a low rise by the Cromarty Firth. The north‑east wing survives with a steep gabled roof and small rectangular window openings; a north‑west wing has collapsed to rubble. The tower’s walls are of roughly dressed sandstone, the upper gable visible above the surviving roofline, and the building sits amid open farmland and belts of trees with the firth and rolling hills beyond.

Its story

The story of Castlecraig.

Castlecraig, also known as Craig Castle or Castle Craig, is a 16th-century tower house on the south coast of the Cromarty Firth, on the Black Isle some 19 kilometres north of Inverness. The tower may have served as a residence of the post-Reformation Bishops of Ross, and Donald Monro, Dean of the Isles, may have lived here in the 1560s.

It survives as a partial ruin: the north-east wing still stands and remains roofed, while the north-west wing has collapsed. The site is protected as a scheduled monument, and its silhouette reached the far side of the world, lending its name to New Zealand's Castle Craig Rock, so called for its similar appearance.

Step inside

6 places to explore in 1560.

The record describes 6 distinct spots at Castlecraig, including 1 interior: ground‑floor interior of the roofed north‑east wing. Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.

Approach across the arable field (southwest)Seaward shoreline beside the Cromarty Firth (east)Landward elevation and entrance side (west)Ruins of the collapsed north‑west wingGround‑floor interior of the roofed north‑east wingUpper gable and top windows

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The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1560, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.

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Questions about Castlecraig

What is the history of Castlecraig?

Castlecraig is a 16th-century tower house on the south coast of the Cromarty Firth. It may have served as a residence for the post-Reformation Bishops of Ross, and Donald Monro, Dean of the Isles, may have lived there in the 1560s. Its appearance also gave its name to New Zealand’s Castle Craig Rock.

Where is Castlecraig?

Castlecraig is on the south coast of the Cromarty Firth, on the Black Isle in Highland. It lies about 5 kilometres north-east of Culbokie and 19 kilometres north of Inverness. The tower stands beside the firth amid open farmland and belts of trees.

When was Castlecraig built?

Castlecraig was built in the 16th century. The first-raised year is not recorded, while 1560 is given as its prime year. It is described as a tower house and a fortification, built from stone and surviving beside the Cromarty Firth.

What did Castlecraig look like in its prime?

In its prime, Castlecraig was a tall, slender rectangular tower house of roughly dressed reddish-brown sandstone. Its surviving north-east wing had a steep gabled roof and small rectangular windows, while the north-west wing formed part of the original structure before collapsing. It stood alone on a low rise above the Cromarty Firth.

Is Castlecraig still standing or is it a ruin?

Castlecraig is a partial ruin, but its north-east wing still stands and remains roofed. The north-west wing has collapsed to rubble, leaving the tower with only one surviving roofed wing. The remaining structure is protected as a scheduled monument.

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