Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland

Brodick Castle, Isle of Arran, Scotland. Photo: Sir Gawain/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Brodick Castle is a castle situated outside the port of Brodick on the Isle of Arran, an island in the Firth of Clyde, Scotland. It was previously a seat of the Dukes of Hamilton, but is now owned by the National Trust for Scotland. The castle is a Category A listed building and the grounds are included in the Inventory of Gardens and Designed Landscapes in Scotland.

A fortress has been on the site since at least the fifth century, when Gaelic invaders from Antrim expanded their kingdom of Dál Riata. The site is thought to have been a centre of relative importance, on account of its strategic position on the Firth of Clyde.

Brodick Castle, main portal. Photo: Sir Gawain/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

The castle had been rebuilt by 1510 in the form of a tower house.

In 1650 it was extended by building an Artillery battery.

Brodick Castle, artillery battery with the former main entrance. Photo: Sir Gawain/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

In 1844, massive building work was undertaken at the castle, almost tripling the size of the building, under the architect James Gillespie Graham.

The Castle and gardens were acquired by the National Trust for Scotland from the Lady Jean Fforde in 1958. The castle is open to the public during the summer, with Brodick Country Park open all year round.

Gardens at Brodick Castle. Photo: Mike Peel/Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Bee boles can be seen in the Walled Garden, which was built in 1710.

Brodick KA27 8HY (2 miles north of town centre). Apr-Oct daily 10:00–17:00. Adults £13.50, conc £9.50, NTS/NT free. (Wikipedia, Wikivoyage)

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