Ruined towers and courtyards occupy a sea-girt headland whose natural defences helped make Dunnottar a place of national consequence.
Quick facts
- Date
- Medieval and later; principal surviving ranges fifteenth to seventeenth centuries
- Architect / designer
- Successive Earls Marischal and their masons; individual designers largely unrecorded
- Type
- Cliff-top castle complex with gatehouse, tower house, palace ranges, chapel and defensive works
- Designation
- Scheduled monument (SM986)
- OS grid reference
- NO 88108 83875
Architecture and continuing use
A narrow approach enters through fortified gates to a large summit enclosure containing the tower house, palace ranges, chapel, vaults and service buildings, all bounded by sheer cliffs and the North Sea.
Its story
The surviving complex developed through several medieval and early modern campaigns under the Keith Earls Marischal. It sheltered the Honours of Scotland during Cromwellian siege and later held Covenanters before losing its roofs after the Marischal forfeiture.
Why it is included
Its scheduled status, commanding architecture and connections with national government, conflict and belief make it the essential anchor for Stonehaven.
What to notice
- The controlled landward approach and successive gateways.
- Contrasting vertical tower house and more domestic palace ranges.
- How courts, vaults and walls exploit the irregular summit.
Reading the surroundings
The approach includes a long path and many steep steps, with uneven and exposed surfaces. Check the castle’s live access and weather notices; cliff edges and closed ruins must be respected.
Timeline
- 1651–1652 The Honours of Scotland were protected at Dunnottar during a prolonged Cromwellian siege before being removed secretly.
- 1685 A group of Covenanters was confined in the vault remembered as the Whigs’ Vault.
- 1718 The estate was sold after the Earl Marischal’s forfeiture and much of the castle was unroofed.
- 1925 Restoration and consolidation began after Viscountess Cowdray acquired the ruins.
What we know — and what remains uncertain
The castle contains fabric from many campaigns and several traditional associations; individual walls should not be assigned exact dates without specialist fabric analysis.
Sources & further reading
- Historic Environment Scotland: Dunnottar Castle, SM986 — Scheduled-monument identity and mapped national location.
- Dunnottar Castle: visitor information — Current visitor use, opening, access, weather restrictions and location information.
Location
OS grid reference NO 88108 83875 · Location confidence: High: the HES designation provides an official mapped National Grid Reference and the current source confirms the Place relationship or present identity. · Select the marker to open its satellite view in Google Maps. On desktop, drag Pegman (the yellow figure) onto a blue road. On mobile, turn on the Street View layer and tap a blue road. Other photo markers may be user-contributed.
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