Castles in Scotland Castle Hotels in Scotland Scottish CastlesScottish Castles - Tower House Castle The expense involved in building Scottish castles influenced the architecture and style of later castles built in Scotland. By the 14th century the tower-house castles were adopted consisting of a high tower with thick walls which were surrounded by other buildings including the great hall, kitchens, stables etc which were all made of wood. Scottish Castles - L Shape Tower House Castle By the 15th century weapons had changed significantly with the use of guns and cannons and gun holes were inserted into castle walls. The owners also required fortresses with additional design features to the Scottish tower house castle and the L shaped tower castle was introduced. The L shaped Scottish tower castle consisted of the main tower block with the entrance and main staircase in a wing attached to the corner of the main block. Variations of the L shape were also introduced such as an E and T shape Tower Castles. Scottish Castles - Artillery Forts and Garrisons The Scottish castle changed again in the 16th & 17tth centuries. Castles failed to withstand the onslaught of guns and cannon and heavily armed Artillery forts and Garrisons were introduced. They were used for accommodation and a symbol of wealth and power - designs often returned to the simple tower house castle which was cheaper to build and provided enough rooms for the nobles to live. Scottish Castles - Fairytale Castles - Georgian Victorian Baronial style By the 18th century Scottish castle were built purely as luxury homes or sometimes palaces. These romantic Fairytale castles were designed in the Georgian Victorian Baronial styles. These Scottish great homes were built for luxury, not defensive purposes. The History of Scottish Castles The history and development of the Scottish castle is linked to several major factors: - The development of new technology and building methods
- The development of Medieval warfare and new weapons
- Social and cultural changes in Scotland
- Defensive and Offensive requirements
- Symbolic or political reasons for a castle location in Scotland
Visit an Scottish Castle If you would like to visit a castle in Scotland please click the following link for details and locations - some of these are now wonderful hotels which enable us to experience life in a Scottish castle. Castles in Scotland Castle Hotels in Scotland |