Cawdor Castle
Cawdor Castle is a castle a few kilometers east of Inverness in the Scottish Highlands .
history
The facility was first mentioned in 1380. William, Thane of Cawdor built a massive battle tower. No sources have survived from a shield wall or the battles for the castle from 1380. Sources can only be found again from 1638, when the repair of the tower with the old salon and the northern wing began. During the Civil War only a few haystacks were set alight by Lord Montrose's English soldiers . Even during Oliver Cromwell's bloody campaigns , Cawdor Castle was exempt from hosting soldiers and officers. This is the reason why the expensive interior is still preserved.
construction
Cawdor Castle is built around a massive donjon . The donjon is the oldest part of the castle. Small oriel turrets with loopholes are attached to the four corners of the tower . A crenellated wreath and machikuli (rows of machicolations ) certainly represented defensive structures in the beginning, but in more recent times they were more used for decoration. In 1684 it was converted into a comfortable residence. The fifteenth Thane of Cawdor added two more wings to accommodate additional servants and his nine children. The windows have been enlarged. This meant that Cawdor Castle lost its defensive status and became a castle for good. The interiors are clad with stucco and wooden panels. Green and blue carpets were laid out on the stairs. These colors are the colors of the Campbell tartan .
The legend
Cawdor Castle is closely linked to the tragedy Macbeth by William Shakespeare . The castle was the setting for the tragedy and death of Duncan. However, the castle was only built 300 years after Macbeth's death. Another legend has it that the builder William, Thane of Cawdor, was given in a dream to load a mule with gold. A castle is to be built where this animal lies down to sleep. The animal was resting by a hawthorn bush . William had a tower built around the hawthorn bush at this point.
literature
- Christina Gambaro, Giulia Gaida (Red.): Scotland - castles and palaces . Karl Müller, Cologne 2003, ISBN 3-89893-075-0 .
Web links
- Site of the castle (English)
Coordinates: 57 ° 31 '27.5 " N , 3 ° 55' 35" W.