North-west of Stirling, Doune Castle raises its tall lordly tower and its great hall above the river Teith. A great fortress of the late fourteenth century, it served in the Renaissance as a residence for the dowager queens and a stay for Mary Stuart — a castle at the heart of Stewart court life.
The castle of the widowed queens
Built in the late fourteenth century, Doune is a masterpiece of Scottish castle architecture, with its 29-metre lordly tower, its great hall with a double fireplace and its kitchen tower with an immense 5.5-metre hearth. In the Renaissance, it served as a dower house for the widowed queens of Scotland — Margaret of Denmark, then Margaret Tudor (widow of James IV, sister of Henry VIII), who married there in 1528 Henry Stewart, Lord Methven. The castle was also the residence of the Earls of Moray, of the royal Stewart family. Doune thus illustrates the role of these great fortresses in the domestic and dynastic life of the Scottish monarchy.
Mary Stuart and court intrigues
Mary Stuart stayed at Doune several times, occupying the suite of apartments above the kitchens. The castle remained a place of power under James VI: in 1593, the king discovered conspirators there, and important repairs were carried out by royal order (1580-1581). Doune illustrates the way a medieval fortress continued, in the Renaissance, to serve the court — a residence, a refuge, but also a scene of intrigue. Its remarkable preservation has made it, in modern times, one of the most prized film and television sets in Scotland. To see: the 29-metre lordly tower and its double-fireplace great hall, the kitchen tower with its immense 5.5-metre hearth and its guest apartments, the court and curtain walls.
Did you know?
Doune Castle has become a screen star: its court and halls served as a set for the cult film Monty Python and the Holy Grail(1975), then for the seriesGame of Thrones(where it plays Winterfell) andOutlander (Castle Leoch). Few Scottish fortresses have known such a cinematic second life — so much so that the castle's audioguides are narrated by a former Monty Python. The great house of the Stewart dowager queens has thus become a place of pilgrimage for film lovers from all over the world.
Notes
Doune Castle lies at Doune, about 13 km north-west of Stirling, Stirling; a castle run by Historic Environment Scotland, open to visits. Seasonal hours to check.
Quiz
- What did Doune serve as in the Renaissance?
- A residence for the dowager queens and for Mary Stuart
- A prison only
- A cathedral
- Which widowed queen married Lord Methven here in 1528?
- Margaret Tudor
- Anne of Denmark
- Elizabeth I
- For which modern use is Doune famous?
- A film set (Monty Python, GoT, Outlander)
- An observatory
- An airport