Bothwell Castle

Bothwell Castle

A red castle above the Clyde

High on a wooded bank above a bend in the River Clyde, near the town of Uddingston south-east of Glasgow, stand the great red-sandstone ruins of Bothwell Castle. Even today, broken and roofless, it is one of the most impressive medieval castles in Scotland. When it was new, it was reckoned the finest and largest stone castle of its age in the country — a fortress fit for one of the most powerful families in the land.

The great round keep

Bothwell was begun in the later thirteenth century by the Moray family, who set out to build something truly magnificent. The heart of their castle was an enormous circular tower, or "donjon," ringed by its own moat — a mighty stronghold within the stronghold, where the lord and his household could hold out even if the rest of the castle fell. This great round keep was among the finest in all of Britain, and although only part of it survives today, its sheer size still astonishes visitors.

Fought over in the Wars of Independence

Because it guarded an important crossing of the Clyde, Bothwell became a prize in the long Wars of Scottish Independence around the year 1300. It was besieged and captured again and again, by Scots and English in turn. In 1301 King Edward I of England took it after building a huge wooden siege tower, dragged to the spot by hundreds of men and oxen.

In one of the most dramatic moments of all, the Scots decided that a castle this strong was too dangerous to leave standing in enemy hands. So they deliberately pulled down part of it themselves — including half of the great round keep, which was toppled into its moat — to make sure the English could never use it against them. The two halves of that broken tower can still be seen today, a powerful reminder of how desperate the wars had become.

The Black Douglases

After the wars, Bothwell passed to the powerful Douglas family — the "Black Douglases" — who repaired the damage and added a grand new great hall and chapel, turning the fortress into a comfortable noble residence as well as a stronghold. For a time it was one of the most splendid homes in Scotland, before changing times and changing families left it, at last, to fall quietly into ruin.

Visiting today

Today Bothwell Castle is a peaceful, beautiful ruin set among trees above the Clyde. Visitors can walk through its great gateway, stand inside the broken round keep, and explore the hall where Douglas lords once feasted. Its warm red stone glows in the sunlight, and from the walls there are lovely views over the river — a calm setting that makes it hard to imagine the fierce sieges this proud castle once endured.