Dundonald Castle

Dundonald Castle stands on a low hill above the village of Dundonald in South Ayrshire. The first stronghold here was a timber hill fort that burned so fiercely around the year 1000 that its stone walls melted. Later a stone castle was built by one of the early royal stewards in the 12th century, then rebuilt in the late 13th century. The present tower house was begun in 1371 for Robert II, the first king of the Stewart dynasty. The castle is worth visiting for its three medieval phases and the royal apartments added by Robert II and Robert III. Excavations have found traces of Bronze Age settlement and Iron Age roundhouses beneath the barmkin walls. Gordon Ewart led the 1986–1993 digs that uncovered kilns, grain stores and shale bracelets from the 4th and 5th centuries. Recent geophysical surveys and community digs continue to reveal layers from Neolithic times to the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Visitors climb to the tower house where the upper hall and lower hall survive with their stone vaults. The ground floor once held separate cellars for wine, ale and food. Outside, the barmkin wall encloses foundations of stables, bakehouses and a smithy. A visitor centre at the foot of the hill displays models of the earlier castles and explains the site’s long history.