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The Great Britain Guide

Castles · Central Scotland

Mains Castle

♿ Wheelchair: limited

Mains Castle — castle in Dundee City, Scotland, UK.

Mains Castle, castles in Central Scotland

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
Dundee · 3.2 km
  • Family-friendly
  • Limited wheelchair access

About

Mains Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Heritage designation: category A listed building. Wikidata describes it as: "castle in Dundee City, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 56.4856°, -2.9581°.

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Heritage listing

Mains Castle (also known as Claverhouse Castle or Fintry Castle ) is a 16th-century castle in Dundee, Scotland. The castle consists of several buildings surrounding a courtyard, although several of the original western buildings no longer exist. The northern and eastern buildings are where the family would have lived, with the servants occupying the southern quarters. The castle also has a large, six-floor, square tower house with dressed cornerstones, which is typical of 16th-century construction. It is a Category A listed building. The castle is located in Dundee's Caird Park to the north of the city overlooking the Dichty valley and adjacent to a small stream known as the Gelly Burn.

From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.

From the Wikipedia article

Mains Castle (also known as Claverhouse Castle or Fintry Castle ) is a 16th-century castle in Dundee, Scotland. The castle consists of several buildings surrounding a courtyard, although several of the original western buildings no longer exist. The northern and eastern buildings are where the family would have lived, with the servants occupying the southern quarters. The castle also has a large, six-floor, square tower house with dressed cornerstones, which is typical of 16th-century construction. It is a Category A listed building. The castle is located in Dundee's Caird Park to the north of the city overlooking the Dichty valley and adjacent to a small stream known as the Gelly Burn. On the opposite side of the burn is located the mausoleum of the Graham family and the Main's cemetery, which was formerly the site of the district's kirk. The castle and its grounds was the subject of a poem by Dundee poet William McGonagall in his work The Castle of Mains.

Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.

Background

History

The castle is believed to have been built in 1562 by Sir David Graham, nephew of Cardinal Beaton. A keystone in the western gateway bears this date as well as the initials DG and DMO for David Graham and Dame Margaret Ogilvy. A horizontal beam in one of the eastern courtyard doors bears a date of 1582, indicating a possible completion date. 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, with the condition that his family could retain the territorial title of Graham of Fintry and that the estate revert to the older name of Lumlathen or Linlathen. An earlier castle was held by the Douglas'…

Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Coordinates
56.4856, -2.9581
District
Dundee City
Postcode
DD4 9BX
Parliamentary constituency
Dundee Central
Nearest railway station
Dundee3.2 km

Sources

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Nearby

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Frequently asked questions

Where is Mains Castle?
Mains Castle is in central Scotland, United Kingdom (postcode DD4 9BX).
Is Mains Castle a listed building?
Mains Castle is officially recognised as category A listed building listed.
Does Mains Castle charge admission?
Mains Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.
How do I get to Mains Castle?
The nearest railway station is Dundee, about 3.2 km away. Drivers can navigate to postcode DD4 9BX.