Plunton Castle

Plunton Castle is a ruined L-plan tower house in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland. It stands between Kirkandrews and Gatehouse of Fleet on farmland about three miles south-east of Gatehouse of Fleet. The castle is approached by a farm track from a minor road and is now roofless. Built around 1575 for the Lennoxes of Plunton, it passed to the Murrays of Broughton in the late 17th century. By 1838 it had fallen into ruin, as shown in a painting by George Colomb. The castle’s defensive features include gun loops in its walls, iron grilles in the windows, and a high wall that once surrounded a courtyard. One ground-floor chamber could only be entered from outside, weakening its defences. Archaeologists have found evidence of a walled courtyard, gardens and other buildings beneath the surrounding field. Walter Scott used the castle as inspiration for his play The Doom of Devorgoil. It became a scheduled monument in 1937. Visitors find a roofless stone tower with thick walls rising to three storeys and an attic. The great hall on the first floor has a large fireplace and splayed windows. The second floor had two chambers with fireplaces, and the attic was divided into two more rooms with access to corner turrets. Two turrets survive almost intact, while the third has mostly collapsed. The surrounding field contains buried remains of the courtyard and ancillary buildings.