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Tullibardine Castle today

Scotland · Demolished

Tullibardine Castle

Tullibardine Castle was a medieval stronghold in the village of Tullibardine, Perth and Kinross, Scotland, built in the late 13th to early 14th century and long associated with the Murray family. It hosted royal visitors including Mary, Queen of Scots and James VI. The building was demolished in 1883; the site historically included a notable plantation of hawthorn hedges laid out in the shape of the ship Great Michael about 100 metres to the north.

Photograph via Wikimedia Commons

Its prime

1591

Today

Demolished

As it stood in 1591

What Tullibardine Castle looked like in its prime.

At its prime (late 16th century) Tullibardine presented as a compact medieval masonry residence set within the village of Tullibardine north of Auchterarder. The plan included a conspicuous large circular chamber with a central pillar; ranges of roofed domestic buildings and service rooms clustered around an inner yard; planted grounds lay immediately adjacent, and about 100 metres to the north a ship-shaped plantation of hawthorn hedges marked a garden feature. The fabric was complete and roofed in this period.

Its story

The story of Tullibardine Castle.

The lands of Tullibardine came to the Murrays when Ada de Strathearn, wife of William Murray, was granted the other moiety of Tullibardine from her aunt. The castle itself was built in the late 13th to early 14th century, its first custodian likely David Murray, Baron of Tullibardine.

Mary, Queen of Scots visited William Murray of Tullibardine at the castle on 16 November 1562, and again on 31 December 1566 following the baptism of Prince James, accompanied, it was said, by the Earl of Bothwell. James VI, in turn, often visited John Murray, 1st Earl of Tullibardine, whose court roles included Master of the Household; on one visit the king hurried back on hearing Bothwell had escaped from Edinburgh Castle. The castle was demolished in 1883; a noted plantation of hawthorn hedges about 100 metres to the north was laid out in the shape of the ship Great Michael.

Step inside

4 places to explore in 1591.

The record describes 4 distinct spots at Tullibardine Castle, including 2 interiors: large circular chamber with central pillar (interior), hall used for the 1591 masque and wedding festivities. 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 from the village lane (main exterior view)Large circular chamber with central pillar (interior)Hall used for the 1591 masque and wedding festivitiesShip-shaped hawthorn plantation (about 100 m north)

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Whose castle

Clans who held Tullibardine Castle.

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

  • Murray

    Held by the Murrays from the castle's building in the late 13th to early 14th century; the line rose to Earls of Tullibardine before the castle's demolition in 1883.

Nearby

Landmarks within reach of Tullibardine Castle.

Questions about Tullibardine Castle

What is the history of Tullibardine Castle?

Tullibardine Castle was built in the late 13th to early 14th century and became a long-standing Murray stronghold. Mary, Queen of Scots visited in 1562 and 1566, while James VI attended a wedding and performed in a masque there in 1591. The castle was demolished in 1883.

What is inside Tullibardine Castle?

Inside Tullibardine Castle were a large circular chamber with a central pillar and a hall used for the 1591 masque and wedding festivities. The castle also contained roofed domestic buildings and service rooms arranged around an inner yard. These spaces formed part of a compact medieval masonry residence.

Where is Tullibardine Castle?

Tullibardine Castle was in the village of Tullibardine, in Perth and Kinross, about 2 miles north of Auchterarder. The site lay within the village, with a plantation of hawthorn hedges about 100 metres to the north. The castle is in Scotland.

When was Tullibardine Castle built?

Tullibardine Castle was built in the late 13th to early 14th century. No precise first-raised year is recorded. Its prime period was the late 16th century, when the building was complete and roofed, including the documented arrangement of domestic and service rooms around an inner yard.

Which family or clan held Tullibardine Castle?

Tullibardine Castle was held by the Murray family from its building in the late 13th to early 14th century. The family’s line rose to the Earls of Tullibardine before the castle was demolished in 1883. Its first custodian was likely David Murray, Baron of Tullibardine.

What did Tullibardine Castle look like in its prime?

At its prime, Tullibardine Castle was a compact medieval masonry residence with a conspicuous large circular chamber and central pillar. Roofed domestic buildings and service rooms clustered around an inner yard, with planted grounds beside the castle. About 100 metres north, hawthorn hedges formed a plantation shaped like the ship Great Michael.

Is Tullibardine Castle still standing?

Tullibardine Castle is no longer standing: it was demolished in 1883. The former site included a notable plantation of hawthorn hedges about 100 metres to the north, laid out in the shape of the ship Great Michael. The castle’s fabric was complete and roofed during its late-16th-century prime.
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