Blackness Castle

One of Scotland’s most impressive strongholds, Blackness Castle dates back to the 15th century. It’s the finest example of artillery fortification in Scotland. The fort was built in the 15th century on the site of an earlier fort by Sir George Crichton and has been around for 700 years.

As Linlithgow Palace didn’t have a dungeon or jail, Blackness Castle also served as a prison, which held people like Cardinal Beaton and the 6th Earl of Angus.

Blackness is compared to a ship because of its design and position jutting into the water. Nicknamed “the ship that never sailed,” the north and south towers are called “stem” and “stern” and the central tower is called “main mast”.

Although the castle was strengthened and withstood various attacks, it couldn’t stop Oliver Cromwell’s army in 1650. It was repaired and once again served as a prison and a minor garrison.

Religious crusaders were imprisoned here during the ‘Killing Time’ of the 1670s and 1680s. Later, Backeness was a prison of war for foreign soldiers and sailors captured during battles with France, Spain, and the fledgling USA.

Three heavy guns were added to the spur protecting the gate in 1693. In the 1870s, when the castle served as an ammunition depot, barracks, officers’ quarters, and a pier were added. World War I repurposed it for the army.

Featured in Outlander, Blackness Castle is the location for the heart-wrenching scene of Jamie’s incarceration at the headquarters of Black Jack Randall. It was also used as a location in Hamlet and Ivanhoe.

Blackness is compared to a ship because of its design and position jutting into the water. Nicknamed “the ship that never sailed,” the north and south towers are called “stem” and “stern” and the central tower is called “main mast”.

From the castle, you have panoramic views over the River Forth towards the Forth Bridges and Fife.