Castles · Central Scotland
Fast Castle
Fast Castle — medieval castle in Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Nearest railway station
- Reston · 9.4 km
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Fast Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Records date its origin to 1522. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "medieval castle in Scottish Borders, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 55.9324°, -2.2239°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Fast Castle is the ruined remains of a coastal fortress in Berwickshire, south-east Scotland, in the Scottish Borders. It lies 4 miles (6.4 km) north west of the village of Coldingham, and just outside the St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve, run by the National Trust for Scotland. The site is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.
From the Wikipedia article
Fast Castle is the ruined remains of a coastal fortress in Berwickshire, south-east Scotland, in the Scottish Borders. It lies 4 miles (6.4 km) north west of the village of Coldingham, and just outside the St Abb's Head National Nature Reserve, run by the National Trust for Scotland. The site is protected as a Scheduled Ancient Monument.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
It is unclear when the first structure appeared on the site, but its defensible position must have made it attractive to even the earliest inhabitants of the area. There is evidence of Iron Age habitation here, and it was centrally positioned in the British kingdom of Bryneich, and its Anglo-Saxon successor state of Bernicia. Fast Castle is first recorded in 1333. In 1410, a force led by Patrick Dunbar, second son of the 10th Earl of Dunbar and March seized the castle and imprisoned the governor, Thomas Holden. Its new Scots governor William Haliburton was also able to seize Wark Castle, Northumberland, in 1419. The castle fell into the hands of the Home family (pronounced "Hume"), and in…
Description
Fast Castle, in its heyday, comprised a courtyard and keep, built on a narrow sloping plateau, 27 by, on an eponymous promontory overlooking the North Sea. Cliffs up to 45 m high on either side rendered the castle relatively impregnable. The plateau was surrounded by a curtain wall with towers, with the keep at the northern extremity of the promontory. The castle could only be reached by a drawbridge over a narrow ravine, protected by a barbican. Little remains today of the keep or the courtyard walls except foundations, and a section of the north-east wall. The layout of the castle is very similar to that of Dunnottar Castle in Aberdeenshire, though Fast Castle is on a smaller scale.…
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 55.9324, -2.2239
- District
- Scottish Borders
- Postcode
- TD14 5TY
- Parliamentary constituency
- Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
- Established
- 1522
- Nearest railway station
- Reston — 9.4 km
Sources
- wikidata: Q2557884 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Fast Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Fast castle - 19092010.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Fast Castle?
- Fast Castle is in central Scotland, United Kingdom (postcode TD14 5TY).
- When was Fast Castle built?
- Built or established in 1522.
- Is Fast Castle a listed building?
- Fast Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Does Fast Castle charge admission?
- Fast Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
- How do I get to Fast Castle?
- Drivers can navigate to postcode TD14 5TY. It sits within the Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk parliamentary constituency.