Lochranza Castle

Lochranza Castle, formerly also spelled hole Ranza Castle, is a ruined castle in the Scottish village of Lochranza on the north end of the Isle of Arran. It stands on a promontory that extends into the southwestern part of the bay hole Ranza.

Founded in the 13th century by the MacSweens or the Stewarts of Menteith, she became in 1266 the property of the Scottish royal house. About the Campbells the plant came in the 1450s to the family Montgomerie they like in the late 16th century to a tower to and goal for before they came to the early 18th century as a pledge for a loan to the Dukes of Hamilton. Not even 100 years later, the small plant was abandoned and so she fell into ruin without a roof during the 19th century.

Since 14 April 1971, the building stands as a Listed Building Category A listed building.

History

Lochranza Castle was as Saalgeschossbau (English hall house) in the 13th century, perhaps by MacSweens, Lords of Knapdale, built. After Arran was finally dissolved after the Battle of Largs from the Norwegian government and incorporated into the Kingdom of Scotland, when King Alexander III. Lochranza to Sir Walter Stewart, 4th Earl of Menteith. For this reason, it is also possible that Lochranza Castle is the foundation of a family member of the Stewarts of Menteith. When Robert II ascended the Scottish throne in 1371, the plant was still owned by the Crown and was subsequently used as a royal hunting estate. In the chronicle of John Fordun we find the first written mention of the plant, where it is referred to as one of two royal castles on Arran. A little later there is the Castle owned by John de Menteith, Earl of Arran, son of Walter Stewart, of which there along with various lands came to Sir Duncan Campbell of Locawe 1433.

For the period 1445-1450 Ronald M'Alister is guaranteed as castellan and tenants of the facility. Since his goods had been devastated by Donald Balloch of Islay during a raid on Arran, he refused to remove the overdue annual fees. King James II Lochranza took him away and therefore missed the castle in 1452 to Alexander, 1st Lord Montgomerie, ancestor of the later Earls of Eglinton, because Alexander's son, Hugh, who was from 1488 Vogt of Lochranza Castle, was by James IV of Scotland 1489 elevated to the rank of count. This king then took advantage of the last decade of the 15th century the castle as a base in his fight against the MacDonalds, Lords of the Isles.

In the late 16th century the family Montgomerie built the simple two-storey castle into a Tower House with a square watch tower on the southern edge. The existing building was thereby increased by two floors and each floor is divided into several rooms. 1614, the plant was further fortified in that year were in the castle troops of the Scottish king James VI. stationed. They were followed in the 1650s Cromwell's soldiers. Middle of the 17th century was Lochranza owned by Alexander Montgomerie, 6th Earl of Eglinton. At his death in 1661 he was succeeded by his son Hugh as owner of the castle. 1685 was James Montgomery, 4th Baronet of Skelmorlie, installation and was succeeded in 1696 by his son Robert. From him the property came in 1705 to Anne, Duchess of Hamilton, in return for a loan.

End of the 18th century, the castle was no longer used and was abandoned after they had already lost their roof in 1772. As a result of decades of erosion by the sea broke in 1897 the northern corner of the building collapses.

Description

Lochranza Castle is a typical Scottish tower house dating from the 16th century, which was created by the expansion and renovation of a simple Hall houses of the 13th century. Core of the system was a four-storey rectangular building made ​​of gray rubble, a five-story tower stood on its southern corner with battlements. The basement of the outside 15.6 × 16.6 feet ( about 4.75 × 5 meters) measured tower seems to have been used as a dungeon. The corners of the entire building have Quaderungen of red stone and stand out well from the rest of masonry from. The entrance to the castle is located on the southwest side of the longitudinal 66 × 35 feet ( 20 × 10.5 m ) measured core construction and is secured by an overlying weir bay window with Machicolation. He was not the original entrance, but was broken in the 16th century there. The original high entrance was on the eastern long side on the first floor and could be reached by an external pre-built, wooden staircase. From there, the visitors came directly into the great hall of the castle. In the reconstruction measures under the Montgomerie, the portal has been converted to a window before it was finally walled up completely. In the west corner of the building located at the level of the fourth floor of the remains of a dormant on Konsolsteinen flock watch tower.

The current entrance led directly to a stone spiral staircase leading to all floors were accessible. Another, narrower staircase there was in the wall thickness of the Northeast side. It led up to the second floor of the main edifice. This was divided on all floors in two games. The more southerly of the two each consisted of a large room, while the northern part recorded several small rooms. The ground floor had a vaulted ceiling and served as a storage room. In the southern part of the first floor, there was the representative, 34.6 × 23 feet (approx. 10.5 x 7 meters) measured large hall (English great hall ), while joined the large castle kitchen and some service areas in the northern part.