Standing on a grassy spit of sand and shingle in the middle of Loch Ranza looking out to sea, the castle is in a pretty ruinious state. The aspect is rather spoilt by ugly industrial fencing intended to keep the unwary out.
The original castle was built in the 13th-century by the Lords of Knapdale, the Mac Suibhne (MacSweens). It became a royal castle under Robert Stewart who became king in 1371.
In the 1450s, the king gave the castle to the Montgomeries who held it for the next 2½ centuries and ‘modernising’ it by adding two new storeys and a tower1Canmore.org.uk. (2022). Arran, Lochranza Castle | Canmore. [online] Available at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/39807/arran-lochranza-castle [Accessed 6 May 2022]..
- 1Canmore.org.uk. (2022). Arran, Lochranza Castle | Canmore. [online] Available at: https://canmore.org.uk/site/39807/arran-lochranza-castle [Accessed 6 May 2022].
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