Castles · Scottish Islands
Muness Castle
Muness Castle — castle on Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK.
Wikimedia Commons contributors — see linked file page for photographer and licence licence
Plan your visit
- Typical visit
- 1.5 h–3 h
- Family-friendly
- Limited wheelchair access
About
Muness Castle is a castle in the United Kingdom — fortified architecture from the medieval, Tudor, or Victorian-revival period. Records date its origin to 1598. Heritage designation: scheduled monument. Wikidata describes it as: "castle on Unst, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK". Coordinates: 60.6895°, -0.8492°.
Photo gallery
Heritage listing
Muness Castle is located on Unst, which is one of the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The castle is three kilometres (two miles) east of the village of Uyeasound. Unst is Scotland's most northerly inhabited island, and Muness is the most northerly fortalice in the British Isles. It was designated as a Scheduled monument in 1953 and is run as a museum by Historic Environment Scotland.
From Historic Environment Scotland under OGL v3.
From Historic Environment Scotland
Get a quick look at Muness Castle, a splendid example of tower house architecture and the home of a prominent, divisive figure in Shetland history. Contact us today for more information.
Read more on the official property page.
From the Wikipedia article
Muness Castle is located on Unst, which is one of the Shetland Islands of Scotland. The castle is three kilometres (two miles) east of the village of Uyeasound. Unst is Scotland's most northerly inhabited island, and Muness is the most northerly fortalice in the British Isles. It was designated as a Scheduled monument in 1953 and is run as a museum by Historic Environment Scotland.
Excerpt from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0. See the source article linked in Sources below.
Background
History
The castle was built in 1598 for Laurence Bruce of Cultmalindie, half-brother to Robert Stewart, 1st Earl of Orkney. Earl Robert was succeeded by his son Patrick in 1593. The building may have been constructed under the direction of Andrew Crawford, Earl Patrick's master of works, who also oversaw the construction of Scalloway Castle and the Earl's Palace at Kirkwall, Orkney. Bruce gave the castle to his son Andrew in 1617. It was burnt by foreign privateers in August 1627, and may never have been fully repaired. It was abandoned before the end of the century and it was sold out of the family in 1718. The castle is now roofless and missing its upper storey which was removed to build the…
Description
The castle forms a rectangular block 22.3 by(x) with circular towers at the north and south angles. The ground floor and first storey survive virtually intact and the corbelling supports for small turrets on the east and west corners on the second storey remain. The roof was probably gabled and the towers likely had conical roofs. The entrance is located on the south-western side and is covered by gun loops in the main block and in the south-eastern tower.
Sourced from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Coordinates
- 60.6895, -0.8492
- Established
- 1598
Sources
- wikidata: Q2278554 (CC0)
- wikipedia: Muness Castle (CC BY-SA 4.0)
- commons: Muness castle 2.jpg (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Frequently asked questions
- Where is Muness Castle?
- Muness Castle is in the Scottish Islands, United Kingdom.
- When was Muness Castle built?
- Built or established in 1598.
- Is Muness Castle a listed building?
- Muness Castle is officially recognised as scheduled monument listed.
- Does Muness Castle charge admission?
- Muness Castle typically charges admission. Check the official site for current ticket prices and opening hours.