Scotland · Ruin
Dunglass Castle
Dunglass Castle is a 14th-century castle ruin on a rocky cliff overlooking the River Clyde in West Dunbartonshire. Much of the curtain wall survives to heights of around 7–8 metres and the site includes later structures and memorials; the ruin is a Category B listed building and is currently at risk.
First raised
1400
Its prime
1400
Today
Ruin
As it stood in 1400
What Dunglass Castle looked like in its prime.
Perched on a rocky riverside cliff above the River Clyde, the castle originally presented a continuous stone curtain wall rising straight from the rock face to about 7–8 metres, punctuated by a stout cylindrical tower at a corner and a small conical dovecot set into the south wall. A riverside landing sits below the walls, and corbels along the south face indicate a former projecting wooden hoarding above the wall; roofs and internal ranges would have filled the enclosure when complete.
Its story
The story of Dunglass Castle.
Dunglass Castle sits on a rocky cliff overlooking the River Clyde in West Dunbartonshire, a 14th-century castle now ruinous. It was attacked by Lord Fleming's soldiers from Dumbarton Castle in November 1568, and again in February 1569, when they were repulsed and Lord Fleming's half-brother was captured.
A large section of boundary wall still stands roughly seven to eight metres high, mixing original and newer construction, with a now-ruined conical dovecot on the south wall, a small protected landing place outside it, a dwelling house at the north-west corner possibly dating back to 1590, and a round tower, probably 17th-century, that appears to have been a pigeon house.
In July 1893 the graphic artist Talwin Morris leased the castle and remodelled the interior; a remnant of the Morris interior is held in the West Dunbartonshire Council collection. On the grounds stands the obelisk memorial to Henry Bell, an early steamship pioneer. Designated a Category B listed building in 1971, the ruin is graded at high risk by the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland.
Step inside
6 places to explore in 1400.
The record describes 6 distinct spots at Dunglass Castle, including 1 interior: enclosed inner courtyard (bailey). Create your own photoreal reconstruction and explore every one, more scenes means more rooms, more angles, and more of the place to stand in.
Build Your Own Castle
Recreate Dunglass Castle with AI to explore it.
The artist rebuilds it as it stood in 1400, a photoreal reconstruction that belongs to you alone. Pay with coins, no subscription needed.
Recreate this castle →Defend this castle →From the archive
Dunglass Castle on paper: the measured plan and period views.
The survey plan and photographs below are the ground truth this page's reconstructions are checked against, drawn and photographed while the castle was still a working garrison. Every image is public-domain or openly licensed, with its source named.
Fig. 238.—Dunglass Castle. View from South-West.
1889 · MacGibbon & Ross, vol. 3 (1889)
Public domain
Fig. 239.—Dunglass Castle. North-West Turret.
1889 · MacGibbon & Ross, vol. 3 (1889)
Public domain
Fig. 240. — Dunglass Castle. Tower.
1889 · MacGibbon & Ross, vol. 3 (1889)
Public domain
Nearby
