Fintry Castle
| Fintry Castle | ||
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 Fintry Castle from the south |
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| Alternative name (s): | Mains Castle, Claverhouse Castle |
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| Creation time : | 1562-1582 | |
| Castle type : | Niederungsburg | |
| Conservation status: | Well | |
| Standing position : | Scottish nobility | |
| Construction: | Quarry stone | |
| Place: | Dundee | |
| Geographical location | 56 ° 29 '7.8 " N , 2 ° 57' 28.9" W | |
| Height: | 67 m ASL | |
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Fintry Castle , also Claverhouse Castle or Mains Castle , is a castle in the Scottish city of Dundee . The castle from the 16th century consists of various buildings that are arranged around a castle courtyard, even if many of the original buildings from the western building line no longer exist. The owner's family lived in the north and east building lines, the servants were housed in the south building line. The castle also has a large, six-story tower house with clad corner stones; this is typical of a building from the 16th century.
The castle is located in Caird Park north of the city center above the Dichty Valley on a small stream called Gelly Burn . On the other side of the stream which is Mausoleum of the Graham family and cemetery of Main where once stood the church of the district.
The castle and grounds appear in the poem The Castle of Mains by the Dundee poet William McGonagall .
history
Sir David Graham , nephew of Cardinal Beaton , is said to have commissioned the construction of the castle in 1562. A keystone on the western passage bears this year and the initials "DG" and "DMO" for David Graham and Dame Margaret, nee. Ogilvy. A transom above one of the eastern doors to the courtyard bears the year 1582, which may indicate the year of completion. The castle was the seat of the Grahams of Fintry and remained so until the 19th century when Robert Graham of Fintry sold the lands to David Erskine on condition that his family kept the territorial name of Graham of Fintry and the property one of the older names "Lumlathen" or "Linlathen". The property was later sold by Shipley Gordon Stuart Erskine to James Key Caird , who bequeathed the castle and lands to the city of Dundee in 1913 for a public park. In 1923 the park was opened by Caird's half-sister, Mrs. Marryat . In the 1980s, the castle was renovated as part of a government program for the unemployed, as many of the buildings had lost their roofs by then.
An earlier castle was owned by the Earls of Angus of the Douglas family from the 14th century until 1530 , when it fell to the Grahams. Fintry Castle has been owned by Mr Dean Duncan from Kirkton since December 2015 . Since the takeover, the front yard has been extensively renovated; all of the dead vegetation was removed and a new garden fence was erected within sight of the park. In the house, the Fintry Suite on the upper floor has been completely renovated by installing a painted woodchip wallpaper, a carpet and new, modern lighting. The old chimney screens were secured. The tablecloths have also been renewed, the old ones are ready when they are needed for public events. The kitchen was also renewed as its old furnishings no longer met modern health and safety rules. The old eating utensils were renewed and the stoves replaced with those with convection. The fire protection precautions were brought up to date, which means that, according to fire protection regulations, a larger number of guests can stay in the castle. The toilets were also adapted to modern requirements and the Graham Suit Bar and the upper stairwell were renewed. All of these interior renovations were carried out during 2016. In 2017 Fintry Castle received the Scottish Venue of the Year award for this.
Historic Scotland has listed the castle as a Category A Historic Building.
Individual evidence
- ^ Castle of Mains . In: The Douglas Archives . Douglas History. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ↑ a b c d e A. H. Millar: Traditions and Stories of Scottish Castles - Mains Castle . 1927. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ Mains Castle (Mains of Fintry Castle) . In: Gazetteer for Scotland . University of Edinburgh. Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ William McGonagall: The Castle of Mains . In: McGonagall Online . Retrieved July 21, 2017.
- ^ A b A Chronicle of The City's Office Bearers, Chambers, Regalia, Castles & Twin Cities (PDF) Dundee City Council. Archived from the original on July 23, 2006. Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved July 9, 2006.
- ^ Parks and open spaces . Dundee City Council. Archived from the original on November 30, 2006. Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 4, 2006.
- ^ Martin Coventry: Castles of the Clans .
- ↑ Listed Building - Entry . In: Historic Scotland .
