Dunglass Castle

Dunglass Castle stands on a rocky cliff above the River Clyde in West Dunbartonshire. Built in 1380, it once served as the main stronghold for the Barony of Colquohoun. The castle was attacked twice in the 16th century by soldiers from Dumbarton Castle. By the 18th century it had fallen into ruin, and much of its stone was taken to repair the quay in 1735. Andrew Buchanan of Auchentorlie bought the site in 1812 and stopped further removal of stone. A Category B listed building, it remains at high risk according to the Buildings at Risk Register for Scotland. The castle’s grounds include an obelisk memorial to Henry Bell, an early steamship pioneer. In 1893 the graphic artist Talwin Morris leased the castle and remodelled its interior. The interiors were later redesigned by Charles Rennie Mackintosh and Macdonald, creating a white room that influenced Mackintosh’s later work at Hill House. Some of their furniture, including a bookcase, is now held by the National Museum of Scotland. A high boundary wall, about seven to eight metres tall, still encloses part of the site. A ruined conical dovecot sits on the south wall, and corbels mark where a protected landing once stood. Near the north-west corner is a partly old dwelling house, mostly newer, and a round tower that may have been used as a pigeon house in the 17th century. The Clyde views and the remains of past structures give a sense of the castle’s layered history.