Castle Campbell Dollar

Originally owned by the Stewarts, the 1^st Earl of Argyll, Colin Campbell, had the name of this castle officially changed to Castle Campbell from Castle Gloom in 1489. The castle sits in the Ochil Hills overlooking Dollar. You can walk to the castle from the village on an old track road just a short ways up the hill. From here, you will have a commanding view of the Forth Valley and Dollar. In 1563, Mary Queen of Scots was one of the visitors to this castle.

Until 1654, Castle Campbell was the stronghold of the Campbells in the lowland, while Inverary Castle was the principal seat of the clan. There is a section of the castle called John Knox’s Pulpit because he once preached here. In a failed attempt to seize control of the castle in 1645, the Marquis of Montrose was hung, drawn and quartered in 1651.The Marquis of Campbell, the 4^th Earl supported the King and in the Battle of Dunbar, when the Scots lost to Cromwell’s army, the castle was set on fire in 1654.

When you visit Castle Campbell, you can see for yourself how thick the walls were. One of the original two entrances still remains. The ruins of this castle are very impressive and picturesque as it is located between two burns - the Burn of Care and the Burn of Sorrow. Gloom Hill in the background was the area for which the castle was originally named.

It is quite obvious that the building of Castle Campbell occurred in three separate stages. There were no openings in the north wall, not even any windows. The square tower, next to the original tower, was added in the 16^th century and had a spiral staircase that gave access to all the floors in the castle. In the latter part of the 16^th century, buildings were added to the southern part of the castle, then to the east and finally a curtain wall completed the courtyard. The hall on the first floor of the rectangular tower was a prison and could only be reached through a hatch in the stone floor of the room above.

Although there is no sign of gardens at this castle, it is quite likely that Castle Campbell did have its own gardens on the estate for the lord and lady to use. There would also have been a kitchen garden to supply the vegetables for the daily meals. You will see that by the standards of the 1400’s, this castle was very modern in its design. Here you can trace history and listen to the stories that the castle walls can tell.

Opening Times
Open All Year (Winter closed all day Thursday & Friday)

Summer
1 April to 30 September Monday to Sunday 9.30am to 6.30pm

Winter
1 October to 31 March
Monday to Sunday 9.30am to 4.30pm

Last tickets sold at 6pm (4pm in winter)

Christmas and New Year Period
Closed 25th, 26th December and 1st, 2nd January.

Admission
Adult £4.00 Child £1.60 Concessions £3.00

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